Glue
by HerFairy
Summary: The story of how Diana fights a witch, somehow ends up on the wrong end of a spell, and requires some of Bruce's help to fix it. Again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Most of my information will be coming from the JL and JLU cartoons, with the exception of things I've learned from various fanfictions. _Spoilers_ for the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons at some point or another.

 **Disclaimer:** The ownership of these characters go to their appropriate creators and I take no credit for them nor do I gain any monetary gain from this. I do gain enjoyment, but that's it. No superheroes or villains were harmed in the writing of this fanfiction.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Circe wasn't an easy person to capture in the slightest, partially out of her own ability to manipulate people into her bidding and another part because she could turn someone into animals with a flick of her wrist. Both deadly skills in a crowd, but Diana had spent the last two hours tracking her from a robbery in the city over to this event in Gotham and wasn't prepared to give up.

Unfortunately, her uniform stuck out, reminding her of Bruce's claim that she didn't really work for stealth missions some months ago. At the time, she couldn't see past the insult of it, as though he judged her for not stepping into the shadows like him. Now, however, she wished she had something else to change into before Circe caught wind of the circulating murmurs of Wonder Woman's arrival.

She lowered herself to the ground behind a building, hating how the darkness seemed to make her stand out more. It would have made her job more annoyingly difficult if it wasn't for Circe's musical voice coming from the speakers, too. The woman wasn't even attempting to hide from the public though, not that she needed since Diana doubted anybody here realized the significance of her appearance; they apparently didn't know what she would do if she got pissed off and Diana knew it was only a matter of time before something tipped her over the edge.

The music faded and she released a breath, preparing to take flight, and stopped at his sudden appearance behind her. He spoke in his cold, low voice; the one meant to frighten, but always failed on her. She suspected he knew that. "Princess, you're in my city."

She smiled some, hearing the real words in there: _why are you here?_

"Circe," Diana replied swiftly, hovering above the ground. "Shayera and I noticed her when we were out, she was up to something."

"Where's Shayera?"

"Back at the Watchtower, she went to investigate any crimes nearby where we found her. She told me about fifteen minutes ago that she robbed a jewelry store, left a trail of animals in her path," she admitted, rubbing away the chill that knowledge left. The rest of the league had laughed at that adventure, but Diana didn't and wouldn't.

Batman took this all in silently and she suspected that he wasn't going to say anything else except for her to leave, to let him handle this. She steeled herself for an argument, but perhaps guessing her thoughts, he said, "We can't get her here, she'll spot both of us coming."

"What?"

His lips twitched, but he didn't smirk or frown. "We need to draw her away."

Diana nodded, shaking off her surprise. "I don't think she'll just follow me if I appear somewhere, she'll suspect that something is up. I have no reason to be in Gotham after all." It was said as a statement, there was no unspoken question, but if there was, it didn't need a reply. He knew the answer, she knew the answer.

Yet he turned to her, his mouth twisted in a pained grimace and she responded back with a sad smile. For a long moment, neither said anything, allowing a small moment of acknowledgement for what they couldn't have. It was the only thing they would get and the music started up again, breaking them away from such thoughts to what they had to do. "That's not her," he said darkly.

"No, it's not. Let's go."

Finding her was much harder this time, even for her skills as a hunter and his as a detective. She didn't attribute this to the tension, that was in the way her hand drifted to him before jerking away and how he stood close to her when she shifted to inspect around a corner that lead backstage.

No, their difficulty was that Circe knew they were following her and Diana didn't realize it until they burst in the room with her name penciled beside it. Circe looked at them, smirking triumphantly and Diana rolled into the room to avoid a blast of something sinister going over her shoulder, hoping that Batman had moved too.

"I should've guessed you'd be in Gotham!" Circe laughed, not the least bit frightened by Diana straightening up to her full height. She lunged at her, but Circe threw another spell at her and Diana moved away at the last second, feeling the heat of it pass her shoulder and hit the wall with a sizzling crunch. "Please, are we calling this a fight?"

Diana sneered, moving deeper into the room as she spotted Batman hiding in the shadows out of Circe's sight. If she could just get the witch to turn her back on the doorway, Batman could get her with a batarang before Circe realized how futile it was to play games. "Says the one who hides behind her magic."

"I'm just playing my strengths," she replied cheerily. Diana didn't like how happy the witch was and she tried to communicate that unease to Batman, but even she couldn't decipher what the twitch in his mouth meant. "C'mon, dear, I'm on soon, let's put an end to this!"

Circe turned to her, turning her back to the door and two things happened simultaneously: an electric batarang pierced the air silently, hitting Circe in the back and a spell of a wicked purple color shot out, striking Diana in the chest. Her knees gave out on her, colliding hard with the floor as Circe screamed in pain. Diana tried to get up, legs like lead, fearful that the witch could withstand the electric shock when Circe shuddered before collapsing, but Batman strode into the room, motioning with his hand for her to stay still as he inspected the witch.

"She's out," he announced, his jaw clenched with anger as he pulled cuffs from his utility belts. She watched this warily, letting herself fall on her bottom, her head pounding ferociously in her skull. What had the witch done to her? She didn't think something that had looked so sinister could simply supply her with shaky legs and a headache, not when Circe specialized in turning people into animals.

She looked at her hands, her thin fingers spread wide and flexing, fearful of being turned into hooves or talons. When they didn't change at all except to begin shaking too, she swallowed hard, relieved.

"Diana," he said sharply, drawing her eyes to him. His cowl was still on, but his worry showed in the hand on her chin, turning it to him with a gentleness that would have shocked any other leaguer. She felt more than saw his eyes combing over her face for any sign of what Circe could have done, but when he found nothing, his jaw tightened even more. "You've been staring at your hands for a while, but they aren't changing, I don't think that's what she did."

This wasn't reassuring, but it did work in snapping her out of her shock. She let out a shuddering breath, forcing away that stubborn niggle of anxiety, accepting his outstretched hand to get to her feet. His fingers tightened on hers even when she gathered herself, sending warmth shooting through her and squeezed back thankfully, trying to smile. He didn't smile back, but his lip twitched and that she understood.

"Let's get somewhere else, we need to talk to her before we send her to your people," he said, releasing her hand as though shocked and crouching to pick up the witch in a fireman hold. At her questioning look, from the witch to him, he explained, "We don't know what she did yet, save your strength in case you need it. I can handle her. Batman to Watchtower, three for transport to holding cells."

J'onn came through after a second. "Transporting in five seconds. Medical assistance needed?"

He looked at her in question and she shook her head in response. "No, but contact Zatanna and have her meet us in five minutes."

They disappeared in a flash of light seconds before security rounded the corner to inspect the reported scream.

* * *

After Circe was contained, Batman swept through the corridor in a foul mood, though Diana noticed his gaze flickered to her more than once as she followed behind him. People avoided them, fearful of his cold expression and, to some extent, the tension on hers. This worked in their favor as they reached the infirmary in record time, where Diana spotted Zatanna in uniform.

A flair of jealousy hit tore at her stomach at the fond expression Zatanna shot him, but Diana forced it down, ashamed. Not only was Zatanna a close friend of his, but she had always been polite to her without motive and didn't deserve ire for being a good friend and skilled magician. By the time Zatanna turned to look at her, only a few seconds had passed since their arrival, but Diana knew her expression had changed as she forced her negative feelings away, smiling in greeting. She wouldn't let a foolish emotion like jealousy dictate her feelings for a person.

"You're hardly the type to stop for pleasantries, what can I do for you?" Zatanna asked, a raven eyebrow raising in question. He had been watching her, she realized, feeling his gaze move from her to the curious magician. It left her cold, but pleasantly so, like she had been cuddled warm under a blanket and kicked her feet out to feel the air.

"Circe got Diana with a spell." He said and when Zatanna opened her mouth to question him further, he cut her off, expecting it, and went on to explain what happened, ending with what the spell looked like: a sickly purple, it looked like rope before it hit her and then seemed to explode and fade.

Diana cut in, annoyed at him speaking as though she wasn't there. "It didn't seem to do anything though."

"Nothing glaringly obvious. We can't rule it out as harmless yet," he said sharply.

"I'm not saying we do, but there were no immediate effects." Except her headache, she added silently, her eyes narrowed on him.

Zatanna spoke before he could reply, her gaze staring at Diana critically but kindly. "I haven't heard of a spell that did nothing, especially by someone as skilled as Circe. She could have lost her concentration when you hit her, but, just to be sure…." She pulled her wand from seemingly nowhere, turning it on Diana with an apologetic smile when she flinched at it. "Sorry, it won't hurt at all. Lleps eht laever."

Diana shuddered, something cold starting at her head and drifting all the way down to her toes, like somebody dumping water down her neck, but when she looked at her hands again, there wasn't a single thing there to tell her about the spell. She wondered if that was meant to happen until she caught sight of Zatanna's frown and Batman's scowl, a tendril of fear forming in her gut. "What?"

"I'm not sure. It's… I can see the spell, but…" Zatanna hesitated, leaning her chin on her palm, studying Diana intently to the point that she felt a little like a grotesque experiment. Sensing her impatience, she continued, "This is hard to explain so stick with me, but the spell is stuck in one area of the body. Now, this could just be your own physiology trying to contain it or…"

"It could be the intention of the spell?" Batman finished for her.

She nodded, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Yes. Look, let me look into this, there's no way I can even attempt to beat it without knowing more about it. In the mean, I don't think it has changed anything physically, but get checked out to be safe and I'll check in with you later when I know more."

It was such a dissatisfying answer, but at least Diana could be confident that nothing was wrong. She was a warrior, she knew her body and how to assess for injuries, there wasn't much of anything that could happen that she wouldn't be able to figure out herself. Except for the one's a certain someone inspired, but Diana had deciphered those very quickly by comments from Shayera and Wally with the former being a touch more subtle about explaining than Wally's comment of "His little, dark heart has captured yours". Hopefully Batman never heard that, she didn't want to imagine what he would do.

"You should go to the infirmary," he said suddenly, making her jump. She imagined that's where Flash would go, but he couldn't possibly read her thoughts to know what she was thinking, even the mighty Batman didn't have such an accurate ability to read people. A second later, she realized that she was staring at him stupidly and his lips twisted into a concerned frown.

"I'm fine," she said once it occurred to her that he wasn't responding to her thoughts, but to Zatanna's suggestion.

He gave her a batglare, but such a look had never been effective on her and she put her hands on her hips stubbornly. This didn't deter him either, while her royal princess stance seemed to get most people, it didn't even cause him to blink. She didn't know this exactly, having never done it when his cowl was off, but she could just tell. "Humor me," he replied with a smirk.

As it turned out, her assumption about nothing being wrong was completely right. She was in peak condition physically, to the point that even Superman couldn't detect anything being out of place or different compared to normal, but her victory didn't last long.

Once she was cleared medically, she got back into her uniform, unsurprised to see Batman waiting in the corridor for her to arrive. He started walking and she fell in step beside him, hands behind her back as silence stretched between them that she decided to break. "Should we go talk to Circe?"

He grunted a "no" in response, but didn't continue, leaving her puzzled. He explained at her annoyed sigh, "She's still out of it, Dr. Fate has been keeping a watch on her and will inform us when she wakes. There is nothing we can get from her until then."

"What until then?"

"Patrol."

"Didn't you already do that?"

"I was when I heard that Wonder Woman was at the carnival. I called Robin to cover while I went to investigate," he said slowly, as though guessing how much he could tell her without revealing something he shouldn't.

Diana wanted to press for more, like why he hadn't made her leave when he learned about Circe or why he had bothered to check for her instead of asking over comm-link, especially in the middle of patrol, but sensed that he was closing himself off now. He turned his body away from her, maintaining the distance between them that had seemed to grow littler the longer they walked and she realized suddenly that they were heading for the transporter. She caught his arm before they went in, smiling as he removed her hand, but still stopped. "I'll see you later then?"

He didn't respond and she didn't expect him to either as he turned to go into the room so she was surprised when he turned to say, a smirk playing on his lips, "I've got to see why Circe was in Gotham so I imagine so."

Her smile widened, but the door closed before she could audibly respond.

Later wasn't very long, ending at the same time that her moment of victory over being right did. She knew when he had left the Watchtower, could feel it in the sudden empty feeling that threatened to expand across her entire being. For a moment, she felt ridiculous for feeling such an attachment to him now when she had never before until it became apparent that something was very, very wrong. Her head spun, something sharp stabbing her chest and twisting until the rest of her body felt numb, tingling to the point of pain.

Someone touched her arm and her world exploded.

Her veins must have been on fire, that could only explain the sudden agony that brought her to her knees, trying to claw at the prickling feeling in her chest, to get as far from her as possible before she burst. She could hear somebody calling her name, could hear the anxiety pouring off somebody as they kneeled beside her, but couldn't move or respond as she slowly died, bringing a horrible, spine-tingling scream from her lips. Then, something pinched the skin of her neck, the sensation of burning faded to ice that crept down her body and froze everything until the world went dark around her.

* * *

"...lost it, started screaming…" She couldn't even detect who was speaking, their voice just a flickering whisper against a sea of rhythmic beating that sent her to sleep.

"...had to sedate her… should wake up soon…" Where was she? She frowned, fighting against her drowsiness, trying to get her eyes to open up. Her limbs were heavy and she struggled against it, panicking when she realized they were strapped down by something that she couldn't break. The beeping nearby increased until someone caught her hand, squeezing it reassuringly and far too briefly for what she preferred.

"She'll wake up soon, Flash. Stop complaining," John said sharply, followed by a grunt from Wally. She imagined that the Green Lantern had elbowed him, but as her eyes were still closed, she couldn't be positive.

"She doesn't need anymore beauty sleep at least," Wally joked when there was another long stretch of silence. "Isn't that right, Ba- er, John?" He changed direction swiftly, no doubt feeling the full force of Batman's glare. It may not have worked on Diana, but she didn't doubt how well it worked on their friend.

Before Batman could do something, John replied: "I wouldn't poke at him too much, Flash. We don't need another member of the League trapped in here for a while and I guarantee it'll be a while if you keep pressing his buttons."

Wally chuckled weakly, trying to play it off, but didn't get the chance to finish when Diana finally pushed the last of her grogginess away and opened her eyes. For a moment, her eyes locked with his concerned brown ones, the light from the rest of the room blinding her to everything else, but when Wally whooped in victory, she broke away, blinking rapidly.

"Where am I?"

"Infirmary," Four voices chorused and she turned her head to spot John, Shayera, Flash, and Kal looking at her with concern too. She moved to ask another question when Kal started to speak, looking uncomfortable. "You've been in here for a while, Di. How are you feeling?"

She blinked again. Despite being awake, her thoughts felt rather muddled, like she was trying to push through quicksand and it delayed her ability to tell if anything felt different. That, she thought, was different enough. "Groggy," she admitted reluctantly, trying to shift into an upright condition only to find that her arms were strapped down. _Just like I imagined_ , she thought, staring at it harshly as though she could burn through it and she turned an accusing glare to them with an iciness that would have made Batman proud. "What is the meaning of this?"

Kal held his hands up in a pacifying motion, but he wasn't the one to reply. Batman spoke calmly, unflinching when her anger shifted to him, "I imagine you'll break through these in a few minutes when the last of the medication fades and you gain full strength."

"Why am I chained like… some sort of animal anyway?" She demanded, voice rising.

"Because it was the only way to guarantee you wouldn't keep attacking yourself," he said bluntly, leaning forward in his seat, his eyes flashing with anger, concern, and something like hesitance that made her draw back her fury. He collected himself again, the emotions vanishing behind cold, icy eyes as the Batman took place of Bruce. Still, there was a gentleness in the way his fingers moved over the titanium straps, removing them from her carefully and passing them off.

She rotated her wrists, surprised at the ligature marks where they had been. Had she been struggling so hard that they had ripped at her skin? No, they were already healing in some places and fresher in others, like it had happened far more recently. _Guarantee you wouldn't keep attacking yourself_ , she recalled, frowning as she shifted up, feeling a tug on her chest and she pulled the gown away some, glancing down at herself to spot numerous marks across her chest from her nails digging into flesh. They were healing slowly and she wouldn't even see them in a couple of days, but right now they looked ghastly, like she had been mauled by some animal.

"What happened?" She said slowly, looking up at Batman. There might have been others in the room who could explain it delicately, but she only had eyes for him and what he knew. He wouldn't lie to her, never saw the need of hiding things that affected her like this had, and she didn't want warm, fuzzy lies, but the cold, hard truth. She trusted him to do that.

"Leave," he told everyone else sharply, his eyes not moving from her. They grumbled, particularly Shayera and Wally, but didn't protest as they left the room, the door hissing shut. "Security protocol Delta, sector medical zeta, permission 001." Once he finished speaking, Diana looked up to notice the cameras turning to face the wall, powering down and the door clicking as it locked.

She didn't think he was doing that for his benefit completely. After all, he wasn't wearing his cowl when she woke up so there wasn't anything the security camera could reveal that wasn't already known. Worry increasing, she looked back at him, unsurprised to find that he was watching her. "Is it that bad?"

"We'll find out. The others would have went to watch the live tapes while they had the chance, I didn't think they needed to hear this conversation," he said, sighing and rubbing his eyes wearily. It was then that she noticed how ruffled his clothes were, looking as though he had slept in them, and the dark rings under his eyes, too pronounced for even him. Concerned, she reached out and took his gloved hand, squeezing his fingers and relishing the sudden calmness from this contact. Even he seemed to relax some.

"Is it Circe?" She suggested, thumb stroking across his knuckles.

"Circe is gone. Shortly after they told me about you, they went to find Circe, but she wasn't there, overpowered Dr. Fate and got away, we think she was playing possum and waiting for a moment to strike," he said, watching their hands with something like suspicion. "Unfortunately, we can't pinpoint where she is now and we don't know if she is the reason this happened."

"But you don't believe in coincidences," she pointed out, frowning. "What is _this_ then?"

Bruce pulled his hand from hers and she felt a pang of loss that grew more profound as he got to his feet, walking across the room away from her. Her head started to hurt like tiny, sharp fingers were poking at her brain. Perhaps she wasn't as healed as she would have liked, but the headache was easy to push aside, to stare in confusion at the pained expression on his face. If he wasn't going to explain it to her, she thought, narrowing her eyes at him, then she would have been better off asking someone else.

"You've been here for three days." He stated, seeming to avoid the obvious question playing across her face. As he spoke, he took the seat beside her again, where his hand seemed to twitch as though he was moving to take hers. It didn't and she thought it was her imagination. "When they first brought you in, they couldn't figure out what was wrong, you looked like you were fighting something. Naturally, they assumed it was Circe's spell taking effect, but there still wasn't anything wrong physically. They kept you strapped down when you started to hurt yourself. When I came back after being informed, you were calming down, everyone figured it was over."

She didn't like where this was going, she had too many fresh cuts and bruises for it to have ended two days ago. Hera, she thought with a shiver of fear, she had slept for three days without even knowing. Never in her life had she taken such time to recover from an injury and to think she had needed time to recuperate from a lack of one wasn't just worrying, but embarrassing. Bruce had stopped speaking, she realized, noting that Batman had faded away to bring the real Bruce that was neither the Bat nor the playboy. She cleared her throat, "But it wasn't?"

His gaze stayed on her a moment before he nodded, the Bat flickering into his matter-of-fact voice while his eyes stayed Bruce. It was unnerving to watch, but easy to ignore when he started speaking again, his voice low. "No, it wasn't. You were stable for a while, didn't flinch or move, just slept and I.. we continued on like normal. I left and then they called me, said you were having issues again. I returned once I could and it stopped. I left again, they started again. You said I don't believe in coincidence, you're right, I don't and this was too much of a serious situation to brush off."

She was frozen, staring at him. He seemed to understand the feeling because there was an unamused smirk on his face as he took her hand, squeezing it lightly and breaking her out of the shock. Bruce waited until she was focused on him again before continuing, "It wasn't just your pain happening whenever I left that clued me in, I noticed other things too. I felt pain here, the second time I left. There was nothing there, but I could feel… something. I came back and that's when you got this one, in the same place," he said, voice lower and softer as his fingers brushed tenderly across a cut on her throat that she hadn't noticed. She swallowed hard, resisting the urge to take his fingers and kiss them.

He let his hand drift down her neck before yanking it away, staring at his fingers harshly and accusingly, like they had betrayed him. They had, they had given away the emotions he'd been denying, rekindling something they both tried to lay dormant, but it was hard to lock your heart away once it made contact with someone else's. Impossible even, she thought with sadness.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. For making this difficult for both of them or for making him feel her pain, she wasn't sure, but it went for both.

"Don't be, it isn't your fault," he replied immediately, sounding stern and then letting out a sigh. "I'm not omniscient, I couldn't have known exactly where that pain was or known later when I left the very last time that you were in pain again. So I had J'onn check, he found it immediately. A tiny piece of you inside my head stood out," he chuckled with disbelief.

Diana tried not to sound skeptical considering she didn't have a reason to doubt J'onn and his ability now. Still, her eyebrow arched, bringing a wince when it moved a small cut on her forehead that she hadn't noticed. How badly did she beat herself up? She wanted to know, hoping she didn't look like she had taken a round with Cheetah blindfolded. "There's a piece of me, in your head?"

"Well, those emotions and thoughts weren't mine."

"You can read my mind now?"

"I could probably have already done that, your face is an open book," he admitted then turned serious. "Do you want me to guess what you're thinking then?"

She gave him a look, but agreed, still skeptical of what he was saying. She trusted Bruce more than anybody, but even she couldn't readily grasp the idea of him having a piece of her soul. Or, well, not like this at least. She imagined that if he held her heart already then it shouldn't be surprising that he held some of her soul too. Curse Circe, it had to be her, there was certainly no one else who could have done this and it certainly hadn't been there before she had thrown that spell. Oh, she hoped Zatanna had learned something about this.

"Zatanna hasn't had much luck finding anything, especially since Circe did her spell silently, so she's getting in touch with a few others in her profession to see what they know. She left yesterday and hasn't been back yet," Bruce said suddenly, picking up on the end of her thoughts. He sounded awed about something and she desperately hoped he didn't hear anything about owning her heart, she certainly didn't want that out there in the open for him to potentially crush. "And, no, I can't really hear everything going on, just fragments and pieces. Don't forget the part about being an open book."

"Hera, what do we do? I can't stay stuck in bed with medication all day, my physiology will eventually become resistant to it and you can't stay with me all the time. Certainly pushing through will work now that I know what to expect," she said, moving to get out of bed only for his hand on her shoulder stopping her. The warrior side of her didn't want to be contained here any longer and glared at him.

"You can't stay on the medication forever, no, and I certainly can't stay with you all the time, yes, but I don't know if pushing through is the safest thing to do." He pulled his hand from her shoulder, standing up and grabbing some clothes nearby to deposit in her lap. His eyes were watching her again, looking hesitant and determined in the same instant. "You'll have to come with me until we know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Gotham needs me," he said seriously. "I need to help you. The only way those both work out is if you stay with me until we know more, until we can find a way to stop it."

 _I need to help you_ , not _you need me to help you_ , she thought, staring at him again. No other man had the ability to surprise her as he did, she should have been angry at him for commanding what to do and she would certainly be getting him back for bossing her around, but too large of a part rejoiced at his words against her will, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She grinned to cover it up, teasing, "Why, Mr. Wayne, do you offer all the women you want to help a place with you?"

The victory was hers again when he rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was originally a one-shot idea, but I've got a few ideas I want to use. I can't imagine it'll be very long, maybe a few chapters, but we'll see. Next chapter will be up soon! Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews! I was surprised by all the feedback I got from you guys and to show much it was appreciated, I decided to put the chapter up today rather than wait! I can't promise updates will be coming this fast in the future, by the way.

 **Disclaimer:** The ownership of these characters go to, you guessed it, their owners! I don't own them or get anything but entertainment from them. No villains or heroes were harmed in the making of this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

By the time they arrived at the manor, it was already well into the morning. So far, there hadn't been any word from Robin since he started patrol, but upon spotting the suit put away safely and the cave empty, a weight lifted off his shoulders, a relief he needed after such a stressful couple of days. _Must have been a quiet night_ , he thought, relieved that Tim wasn't inside the cave when they arrived and the questions his adopted son would have when he spotted the Amazon princess.

Bruce didn't regret his decision to bring her to the manor, it was the only thing that made sense. He couldn't spend all his time on the Watchtower and he certainly wasn't going to condemn her to excruciating pain whenever he wasn't around so it kind of tied his hands on what to do. His worry lay in what having her around so often would do on the icy ground they stood on. _Or more like a tightrope because ice is a lot more stable that this dance of ours_ , he mused, opening the clock door and walking in with her right behind him, holding a suitcase that she wouldn't let him take for her.

"Alfred should already be…" He started, slowing when he spotted the butler near the door and narrowing his eyes. "He's supposed to be asleep."

"Sir, I shall sleep after I'm assured that our guest is comfortably in her room and to do any less than that would be impolite on your end as my employer and my end as an employee," he said professionally. Bruce could see the twinkle in his eyes though, his surrogate father obviously wanted to make sure he treated the princess with nothing less than politeness and this only further proved Bruce's opinion that Alfred had a soft spot for Diana.

Diana watched them, confused but amused. Bruce looked sternly at the butler, a silent argument taking place, before he sighed. "I suppose arguing would be futile?"

Alfred didn't hide his smile. "Yes, I believe so, Sir." Then he turned to Diana, bowing his head politely. "Your highness, it's a pleasure to see you again. I do hope he has been treating you as kindly as he can?"

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Alfred, but please, call me Diana," she said, smiling warmly at him. "And he has been a perfect gentlemen, you have no worries."

He shook his head, looking scandalized. "Apologies, Miss, but that would be improper. However, I would be happy to take your bags up to your room while Master Bruce continues with whatever he has planned."

"I don't suppose you can tell me what he has in mind?" Diana inquired, relinquishing her bag with an ease that had Bruce staring. Hadn't she just threatened him a few moments ago that she was perfectly capable of handling her own bags in that threatening way of hers? Granted, it hadn't bothered him so much as amused him, but that wasn't the point.

"I can't begin to guess what Master Bruce will do, he is quite fond of surprising me," he replied, smiling kindly.

Bruce cut in, "I can take her to her room, Alfred. I insist you go to bed afterwards." His words didn't allow for argument, but he didn't doubt that Alfred could somehow twist his arm if he wanted. He didn't, thankfully, he only welcomed Diana again and bid them goodnight before leaving the room, trying to muffle a yawn when the door closed. Bruce turned to Diana, eyebrow raised. "Didn't you threaten me a few minutes ago?"

She smiled, disarming him in an instant. "Alfred has a way of manipulation that make it rather difficult to ignore him, I'm positive that he has been blessed by the Gods in such a way."

"Perhaps, he would have to be blessed to deal with me for as many years," Bruce admitted.

"You are a difficult man," Diana agreed.

"Tell me how you really feel, Princess," he grumbled goodnaturedly. She looked puzzled by that response. "What?"

"You're in a rather good mood," She pointed out then stepped closer to him. The air seemed to leave the room, but she continued forward, undaunted by his sudden tension as she lifted her hand to his cheek. "You don't feel feverish."

He swallowed back his first instinct, whatever it may have been from kissing her to falling on his ass, relieved that he had practiced it so much over the past few months. It didn't help much, but it made it… bearable. Either way, he responded with the first thing that came to mind, but at least it was better than _doing_ something foolish. "Probably just delirious, I have been sleeping in a chair for a few nights and even I haven't done that before."

The mischief in her eyes faded away at his words, her hand unmoving from her face as she stared at him with sad, guilty eyes. He wanted to hit himself for saying that. "I'm sorry, I…." She trailed off, struggling to find the right words, her hand slipping away from him and leaving a sense of loss that became poignant as she stepped away. "I don't know why I always seem to make things difficult for you without intention."

"This isn't your fault."

Diana shook her head. "If I had dodged Circe, it wouldn't be a big deal, but here we are."

"I didn't realize you could become intangible like J'onn, your range of abilities is fascinating," he replied sarcastically and getting a glare in response. He didn't back down from it anymore than she backed down from his returning glare.

"Bruce, this is serious."

Bruce raised his brow. "I know, that's why you're here. Come on, I'll take you to your room, we can talk about this more tomorrow when we've both slept."

She laughed coldly. "All I've done is sleep apparently."

He held back a shudder at her laugh, silently deciding that he didn't want to hear it with anything other than the absolute warmth that invaded every other action she did in some way or form. It had nothing to do with being Wonder Woman either, but something that was entirely Diana; she didn't let the darkness of the world drown out her own light. That light brightened other people, even those reluctant to accept it or show it. Like him.

Bruce shook his head. "I meant in a comfortable bed with soft blankets, the ability to wake up yourself, and to not worry about hurting yourself either," he explained, offering up his arm for her. "So, Princess, may I show you to your room or shall we stand here debating over the impossibility of changing the past?"

Despite her irritable mood, she seemed amused by his actions, looping her arm through his. "Arguing with you is impossible sometimes."

"If I'm going to lose an argument with anyone, it would probably be you. Or Alfred," he shrugged, thinking of his surrogate father. The man had the uncanny skills of getting Bruce to do what the butler wanted without him necessarily realizing it at the time, a trait that he admired and resented in nearly equal measures.

She laughed in response, much closer to her normal one. Apparently she wasn't giving into his arguments as much as she implied or was a lot sleepier than she looked otherwise he was positive they would still be downstairs debating a futile topic. He knew the irony of preaching about being unable to change the past considering he reflected so often on the night that changed everything, still subject to its frequent nightmares, but advice was easier to give than to swallow.

Her room was small, but cozy and located, he realized with an evil glare towards Alfred, right beside his. Only a wall separated them. This is for the best though, she won't suffer from being far away from him, but neither would be tempted by her being right beside him. He let her in, pausing in the doorway as she roamed around the room, hands brushing over things as though afraid they would break.

"There's a bathroom here, if you need it," he said awkwardly, pointing across the hall from them, a few doors away from Tim's room. Not knowing what else to say, he cleared his throat, drawing her eyes. "Well, uh, goodnight. I'll see you… later."

"Goodnight, Bruce," she replied as he stepped away, pulling the door closed and leaning his forehead against the door, the coolness reminding him of the many reasons that he shouldn't kiss her. In the end though, it came down to just one thing: it would be too dangerous.

He sighed, going into his own room, trying to decide whether he meant her safety, his heart, or both.

* * *

Bruce woke up slowly, acknowledging the fact that he really didn't have anywhere to be today that required getting up immediately for the first time in ages. He might have appreciated it more had the sudden awareness of _why_ he had nothing to do popped into his mind, waking him up entirely. He sat up, trying to stretch the grogginess of sleep away, listening carefully for anything abnormal in the house and wasn't surprised to hear nothing. It was only noon, after all; Tim would have left for school and Alfred would have let him sleep for a little while longer.

On the other hand, he didn't know whether the princess was up or not. He tried listening for her, but the only thing he could decipher was the gusty wind outside that rattled the windows and his own breathing, revealing nothing of her presence. Bruce sighed and pulled himself out of bed, heading into the bathroom to take a shower.

 _Alfred has super hearing_ , he thought when he came out with a loose towel around his waist to spot the made bed and clothes set out for him. He pulled them on, adjusting his sleeves as he left the room and towards the only place he imagined his guest to be: the kitchen. After all, she enjoyed Alfred's company.

He pushed the door open, almost happy to see them, when emotions slammed into him. Not gently, like he had been experiencing the past few times that her emotions had leaked to him through their link, but with a sudden rushing force that had him freezing in the doorway. His head pounded, processing the emotions: happiness, awe, guilt. They weren't his, he knew this, but it was hard to remind himself of that when his brain brought up his own memories for each in a futile attempt to fix it.

Stumbling back, he held the doorway, expression pinched as fear flooded his system. He broke out in cold sweat, sweeping the kitchen for whatever inspired his instincts while Alfred stood with his back to him, focusing on the food in front of him. But Diana wasn't looking at Alfred or listening to the blur of noise that was the butler's words, but looking right at him, her expression concerned and-

"Bruce?" Her hand landed on his shoulder and the emotions stuttered to a stop, leaving him blank and empty, feeling absolutely nothing. Was this what he usually felt like? He felt so… hollow. She repeated, "Bruce?"

He blinked and relief flooded her features. "Sorry, got a headache all of a sudden." Her hand tightened a fraction on his shoulder and he drew warmth from it as it pushed away the prickling sensation in his brain, like a bright line was shining on it.

"You don't generally get headaches so noticeably, Master Bruce," Alfred input, sounding suspicious. Bruce leveled a glare his direction, the butler stared back, still suspicious and Diana added her own look, the one that he used to get when he told her why they couldn't be together.

He muttered under his breath, forgetting that he was in the presence of somebody who definitely had super hearing and somebody he suspected did as both of their expressions twitched with amusement. "Your emotions are a lot more powerful than people give you credit," Bruce told her, slipping from her grip and coming to sit at the counter as Alfred passed along a cup of coffee to which he gave a nod of thanks.

Diana sat beside him, biting her bottom lip. Anxiety, he noticed, feeling her emotions again, but not as heavily as before, it was back to a gentle trickle that he barely noticed. He considered prodding it, figuring out the true source of her emotions without having to ask, but crossed it off immediately. This bond of theirs violated her privacy enough without actively looking at it, he would have to do it the old fashioned way.

He preferred it that way.

"Is it painful?" She questioned before he could ask, taking the mug of coffee that Alfred offered her with a gentle smile.

He didn't pause to think, the answer springing up immediately. "No, it hasn't been like that before, I need to take a look at your blood and see if anything shows up in comparison to the data we already had. I don't think we'll find anything though. This isn't science, it's magic."

 _I hate magic_ , he thought. Only magic gives someone a side effect even though they weren't hit by it. His only thanks went to what he had to deal with compared to her, there were worse things in the world than to feel her emotions, to feel a fragment of her thoughts if he happened to think or look at her too deeply. Granted, he did both of those more often than he admitted, but he could work on that. It's all about self-control and he was a master of it. He shook his head, taking a drink of the hot liquid that did little to soothe him, but did put him into work mode.

"If that doesn't work, what do we do?" Diana asked.

"X-rays," he replied slowly, debating what other options they had and came to the conclusion that they had next to none. "The League is already on alert for Circe, but if we can find a solution without her then all the better. I can't imagine what she would want in return this time."

Diana nodded in agreement, embarrassed to know what had happened last time they went against Circe. At least she wasn't a pig this time though, she could count herself lucky for that. He was tempted to ask her which fate was worse until the rest of his brain kicked in, reminding him that he wouldn't be able to do anything to fix this if Diana blew up and, say, launched him out the window into Alfred's flower bed. He knew she would be too because if someone asked Bruce if he would rather be a pig or be in pain when not next to someone that he loved but couldn't then he'd be pissed and liable to throw _them_ out the window into Alfred's flower bed.

Then Alfred would be mad too and the mild-mannered butler probably had years of pent up rage after dealing with Bruce for so long that he didn't want to burst that particular bubble. He added another thing to his to-do list: prepare for the day that Alfred gets mad and find a way to fix it.

She tapped her fingers against her mug, looking at him questionably as he blinked out of his thoughts, staring confused until she repeated, "What about us? What does the League know?"

"Right. The founders know the details of it, there was no point in keeping it from them when they would figure out something was up when we're both removed from active duty. As far as everyone is concerned, I'm handling business in Gotham and you're recovering from Circe's attack." He knew she wouldn't like that, he could already see her expression hardening with annoyance. No surprise, she wouldn't like knowing that she had to stay out of fights.

"So you did all this without evening asking me about what I wanted to do?" She demanded, setting her cup down harder than necessary.

He shook his head. "It wasn't just my decision, Princess. We all voted on this as the best precaution until we know what's going on."

"We already know, you're feeling my emotions because there's a copied piece of me inside your head and I'm feeling pain because…" She trailed off, thinking hard. He waited, watching her brow furrow and unfurrow as he admired her beauty silently. Didn't she realize how hard it was to think rationally when she sat in his kitchen wearing a robe over her pajamas, her hair a mess but still leaving an ache in his hand that wanted to stroke the raven strands?

No, probably not, it was one of the reason he was so attracted to her.

"Did you figure that last part out yet? I certainly haven't figured out why you're in such a state of pain when I'm away from you even though you're physically fine," he said gruffly, narrowing his eyes at her. "If we were on active duty, you could get hurt or distracted and then that's it for Wonder Woman, your mission ends there. No one wants to see that happen." _I don't want to see you hurt._

She was starting to agree, he could feel the reluctant acceptance trying to break free from the stubborn warrior in her that didn't want to be kept hidden away. Her shoulders slumped. "So, that's it then, I'm here until we figure it out."

He decided to lighten the mood, nudging her lightly with his elbow, drawing on a little bit of the playboy. "You could be more pleased, I'm not that terrible of company to have…" Alfred made a noise, he gave him a dark look. "Thanks, Alfred, your confidence in me is lifting."

"Just making sure you're honest, Master Bruce," he replied, taking their mugs from them to wash in the sink with a wink at Diana. "Lunch will be in a couple of hours."

Bruce fet a variety of expressions cross his face, from surprise to annoyed to pleased, that he didn't attempt to stop when Diana started to laugh. She leaned forward when he didn't say anything, whispering his ear, "I think he dismissed us. Come on, I know you're dying to get started on this mystery."

Ask him thirty seconds ago and that's exactly what he was planning to do, but with her warm breath sweeping across his ear, sending a shiver down his spine, there were a few other things that he _wanted_ to do. Things that he _couldn't_ do. He reluctantly pushed the feeling away, turning to face her, pleased when her face turned a pleasant shade of red. "Oh, if you insist."

She got up from her seat very quickly, clearing her throat to glance down at her robe. "Give me a minute to change into normal clothes."

He nodded as she disappeared. "I need to make a call, I'll meet you in the study."

When Diana appeared again, he wasn't grinning playfully anymore, looking almost painfully serious. He didn't say anything as he went to the clock and moved the hands, leading her down into the cave as he reflected on the reason for his annoyance.

While Wayne Enterprises could manage without him, it had been doing so under Lucius Fox for years, he didn't know if Gotham could do the same without Batman. Already there was an issue that required his attention, though he didn't know how much he could do even as the Batman until the Joker made his move. Even Diana's warm presence behind him did little to lighten his darkening mood.

He didn't even know what the Joker would want to do with a museum relic, there wasn't anything special about it that could strike the man's attention, but the Joker seemed to live off doing the unexpected. But he had always been able to figure it out, at least to some extent, and now he couldn't come up with anything.

"Bruce?" Her voice was laced with confusion that brought him to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. She stopped right behind him, he didn't need eyes to know that her expression would be quizzical. "Is everything alright?"

Stiffly, he nodded, unsure of whether she spotted the movement. She didn't go to speak any further so he assumed that she was satisfied with his answer. No, not satisfied, she wouldn't ever accept a nod in response to a question, but resigned to the fact that he wouldn't share everything with her. _This spell changes nothing_ , he thought.

They stepped into the dimly lit cave, bypassing the computer of his domain and entered the medical area. It wasn't a very large part of the cave, but it was the nearest to the entrance and exit in case of emergencies where going a few farther could mean life or death. Thankfully, that was rarely the case.

He gestured to the medical bed and she hopped up as he went to a drawer, pulling out a syringe and a needle for starters, beginning to hook it up. Experience kept his hands from shaking out of nerves, but control was the only thing preventing him from turning away from her gaze like a bug may hide from the light. It certainly put their situation into perspective, he had a lot more confidence than a bug, but that didn't change the fact that she was light and he was... something else.

Not a bug, but certainly not light.

She broke the silence, not as resigned to his silence as she made it seem. This didn't surprise him. "Does that have something to do with Batman or Bruce Wayne-"

It wasn't you, it was _Batman_ or _Bruce Wayne_. The thought settled over him uneasily because when did she reach the point of thinking of him that way too?

"-Or Bruce?"

He couldn't help himself. "What?"

"Something is bothering you. Is it from Batman, Bruce Wayne, or Bruce? I know you won't allow hope with one, but maybe I can help with one of the others," she replied, leaning back on her hands as he stared at her.

It was the first person and Batman wouldn't ask for help unless he had no other options, and no other options generally came after death on his list according to Alfred, but he knew that the Joker could potentially bring trouble to the other two as well. Joker wins, Bruce Wayne is in trouble when Bruce has to take action. Then again, the Bat would have to be gone for it to come to that which meant everything else was a moot point-

He hated referring to himself in the third person sometimes. It was a necessary action to prevent slip-ups, but it gave him a nasty case of "Wait, what?" whenever his thoughts revolved around more than one part of his personality.

She caught his eye, her head tilted to frown at him, the debate playing across her face. To push on or let it go, he could see the indecision more than he could sense it. _She has a terrible pokerface still_ , he thought, unwittingly, jolted from his thoughts at the fondness tinging his thoughts.

"I can't keep much from you now, at least not easily," he started slowly, trying not to let bitterness leak into his words. Maybe he did feel the decision was out of his hands, he didn't like letting people into his world and here she was, waltzing right in. He knew it didn't happen like that, she didn't do it on purpose, but that didn't mean he enjoyed having the choice taken out of his hands. Her emotions were conflicting him "The Joker is up to something and I need to find out what."

She nearly jumped, but his firm hand on her wrist, holding her firmly in place, kept her from ripping the syringe out. "Oh, Hera, Bruce. I'm so sorry."

He blinked, confused. "For what?"

"Me being here is going to mess up your schedule. How are you supposed to patrol without me following you? No metas in Gotham," she quoted, resigned to that fact, her eyebrows pinching together.

"For tonight, someone else is covering me until I can figure out the next best course. If there's an emergency, however…. you'll probably… have to come with me," he replied carefully. At her expression, he added, "In disguise. I can't have Wonder Woman in Gotham."

"I am Wonder Woman and I am in Gotham," she stated coolly.

He shook his head. "You're _Diana_ and you're in Gotham."

She looked confused now. "Isn't it the same thing?"

"No." He didn't elaborate.

She leaned closer to him, studying his face. He leaned away, covering it by removing the syringe carefully and wrapping her arm swiftly, even if it would be healed within the day. "Does that mean Batman and Bruce aren't the same person?"

"They are the same person, I suppose." He didn't like thinking on that anymore than he had to, for the same reason that he didn't like thinking of himself in the third person. The World's Greatest Detective didn't need to solve the "Who am I?" mystery anytime soon.

She grinned then, one filled with mischief and triumph that had him pausing with a very mild case of trepidation. "Then I should be able to help both if I can help one. What do you know so far? About what the Joker's up to?"

He gave her a batglare, she ignored it. When she didn't turn away the longer it went on, he finally relented, sighing and offering his hand to help from the table, trying not to think about her warm hand in his as she hopped down. "What do you know about him?"

She paused thoughtfully. "I know he's mad and without purpose. He didn't last with Luthor and the rest so he doesn't play well with others. He doesn't… have a conscience." Diana stopped, looking at him with a silent question.

"He does have a purpose, it's chaos, to be the other side of the scale to me. He's a lot more clever than people give credit and, yes, his lack of a conscience ensures that his schemes succeed more often than they should." He felt her fingers squeeze his, he didn't realize he hadn't let go yet and wondered whether it was safe to hold on to the contact. Deciding that he had given up enough just by letting her in, he let her go. "He's threatening to take something from the museum."

"He hasn't stolen it yet? Why?" Her confusion showed on her face, he didn't need some strange magical connection to know it.

He laughed without humor. "He wants people to question it and get paranoid about what he can do with it. Sometimes its just a fancy decoration that does nothing."

"What does he want to take then? We should figure out whether it's dangerous," she suggested.

"In the Joker's hands, anything can be dangerous," he muttered, taking her blood and dropping it into a scanner near his computer. The testing would take a while as it compared the new blood sample to information from an old sample, but if that failed, it would have to do a full scan for abnormalities that Bruce would then have to meticulously go through and that would take longer. He counted himself grateful that he didn't have that on his plate yet.

Diana watched silently as he turned back to the computer, his fingers moving rapidly against the keys to pull up another file, this one of the Joker, and tossing it to one side of his screen as he pulled up another file on the museum and one item in particularly. He turned to her, brown eyes meeting blue eyes.

When she finished reading, he turned to her expectantly. "What do you know about it personally?"

She sighed bitterly. "I don't know much about the key, they never wanted the Amazons to know about it after the... incident with Hades. They didn't want one of us to get the key and free the Minotaur. Like any of us would wish that beast upon the world."

"I thought Theseus killed the minotaur?"

Diana shook her head, correct lightly. "He killed _a_ minotaur. _The Minotaur_ is another being itself."

Bruce didn't see the difference, even with her emphasis, and he didn't want to ask for her to clarify. It would meant that he did need her help and Bruce... didn't know if he was ready to concede to that defeat yet. Then the Joker's sinister grin flashed into his mind, his cackle taunting him, and he tightened his jaw, turning to face her like one turned to face death. "I don't follow." That was the best she would get from him.

She didn't reply, watching him knowingly and he sensed her sadness even as she pushed it away, but she couldn't anymore than he could ignore it. It hung between them, both well aware of what it meant, but refused to speak of it.

"There were tributes of people sent to the Minotaur and some never found it. Some... did and made the same mistakes that Queen Pasiphae made and bore another beast. Theseus killed one such minotaur, but not the original. According to some of my Amazon sisters, the fact that Theseus had difficulty slaying just an offspring, the Gods ordered the labyrinth locked away, where nobody could potentially lead it to freedom even on accident. The Joker couldn't know any of this though, your history doesn't tell the story that way."

He wanted to believe that. "What else could this key do?"

Diana hesitated. "As far as I know? It can't do anything else. Maybe it is just to cause panic, you did say he liked to do that."

"As far as you know," he repeated skeptically, rubbing his eyes. "It could be, but I can't live with a maybe."

"I know." She smiled gently.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** No heroes or villains were harmed in the making of this chapter. No authors were paid money to write this since they don't own the characters involved and it's messed up to take money for something that isn't yours.

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Even though she'd been to Wayne manor a few times, the longest being after the Thanagarian invasion until they managed to get the new Watchtower up and a few other times sporadically since then that hadn't got passed the Batcave, she still couldn't contain her awe at seeing it once more. Everything about it screamed money, even she could tell that and while it had nothing to the majestic buildings in Themyscira, it conveyed the same kind of respect and dignity of them. Despite this beauty, she would have preferred being in the thick of things to solve their little issue or just closer to get rid of the annoying prickling sensation across her skin the farther she got from him than to reluctantly roam the manor, but she knew why she couldn't.

After talking with Bruce for a while, both speculating on what the Joker could even want with the key to a labyrinth that he knew nothing about, he elected to going back to looking something about to do with their situation, inviting her to explore the manor as she pleased and to get Alfred if she needed anything.

It was a dismissal that set her blood to boil - _no one just turns her away_ \- until she conceded to the small fact that there wasn't anything more she could do to help him. While she had gotten a better grasp of technology since her arrival in Man's World, the ways of science were beyond her ability and unless medicine involved taking care of basic wounds, she couldn't help with examining blood or anything similar to that. Which was frustrating, even more so that she hadn't fought it.

If she hung out in the cave, it would make her a distraction that she had no intention of being so she conceded with grace. But she didn't bother hiding her annoyance. She thought that she caught a smirk on his face at her sarcasm filled response of " _Whatever you say, Bruce"_ before he turned back to his computer, but didn't intend to ask why if it meant that she still got the last word in.

She rubbed her arms to ease the ache in them, feeling as though she had gone through a ridiculously long battle since she departed from his presence, and it raised the hackles of her Amazon upbringing. To be dependent on anyone was an annoyance, to be dependent on a man was worse, and Diana could feel it growing larger the longer she did nothing. Which was the reason she paced around the manor, past marble sculptures, beautiful paintings, and every other fancy decoration that graced the walls, just debating on where Circe could be. She couldn't help with anything else except for that, if she could think of where the witch was then she could-

Her comm-link went off. "Hawkgirl to Wonder Woman."

"Wonder Woman here," she murmured, opening the door to the nearest room to get privacy and stepping inside.

"Just checking in with how things are going there…" Shayera replied.

Diana could hear the grin on her face quite easily and she resolved to sound serious. "Batman is currently looking into it, but no new information yet." What she couldn't understand was why Shayera wanted to know. While their relationship had warmed up considerably since their trip into Tautarus, they didn't generally reach out to the other for random situations, everything so far had been spontaneous decisions to hang out together.

She didn't think this was a spur of the moment decision.

"You know that's not what I meant, c'mon, throw me a bone here," Shayera complained. "Why is he trying to look into it anyway? It's magical origins, he's not going to find the answer beneath a microscope."

Diana didn't reply.

"Hello? Is this thing working?" Shayera questioned curiously.

"What does throwing bones have to do with anything?"

Shayera laughed. "Years here and I thought you would have picked up on most of the expressions people use, but it still goes straight over your head."

Her own lips twitched in response. "I would have an easier time grasping it if it went over my head because of my good reflexes, but something tells me that's another expression."

"Flash wants to know if he's treating you properly otherwise we'll go down there and pummel him for you, we'll even bring John along to help. Yes, John, I did volunteer you for this, don't deny that you would," she said, half to Diana and half to where John and Wally were listening. Definitely not a spontaneous decision.

Diana raised her brow to the empty room, suspicious. "It's not necessary, he's been polite."

"Polite for Batman or polite for a normal person? Those are two different spectrums," Shayera warned.

"Isn't this a misuse of the comm-links?" She replied back, unsure of how to respond to the question.

Shayera didn't respond for a moment and then she sighed, drawn out and disappointed. "J'onn is calling me, I think he suspects us. You win this time, I've got to go. Hawkgirl out."

The comm-link fell silent, but Diana didn't mind. While the contact with somebody else had lifted her spirits, it also gave her the necessary peace to actually _think_ about what had transpired since Circe. She didn't remember much of anything after Bruce left, when it felt like something had injected fire into her body, but apparently it had happened more than once in her unconscious state.

Absently, she settled on a chair in the room, scratching lightly on the healing wounds on her chest from when her fingers had sought blood to ease the pain. She had thought she would die, but looking back now, she felt a different sort of agony, the kind that came from living while something else was gone. _Like a piece of me had been ripped off_ , she thought, shivering and suddenly angry. How dare that Witch do this, force Diana to needing the help of somebody else or face inescapable pain. Bruce already had a piece of her heart, one that he didn't want, he didn't need another thing to hold over her.

Except he didn't hold it over.

She deflated, dropping her face into her hands, feeling the anger fall away again. She loved Bruce and he felt something for her, there was no doubt about that. It was never about whether he wanted it, but about the fact that he couldn't allow himself to take it. Painful, yes, but admirable and she was _okay_ with that. He wouldn't hold that love over her head anymore than he would hold this part of her that was suddenly dependent on him.

She didn't like her independence being taken away, but at least she could trust that Bruce wouldn't take advantage of it. At least she could guarantee that Bruce would do whatever necessary to fix it, that he wouldn't try to hold it out to keep her stuck with him.

Although, she didn't know if that was to get her out of his life so he could return to his normal schedule or for some other motive that she shouldn't think about. She guessed both, with more leaning towards the former, even if such a thought stung. Being dependent and a nuisance wasn't quite on her to-do list today or ever. She did want to be here though, but only if he wanted her here too.

She stood up to leave, freezing at the figure standing in the doorway, their expression confused.

"Who are you?" He blurted out, shifting slightly as though nervous. Diana knew it was him getting ready to attack if it became necessary.

She smiled soothingly, holding her hands up. "Diana works. Are you Tim?" She knew he was, having spotted him once or twice, but never formally introduced considering he arrived at the manor as she was leaving after the Thanagarian invasion. Still, that wasn't the way to make a good impression.

Not that this attempt at being polite seemed to help. He tensed even more, alarm growing. "How did you know that?"

"Alfred told me about you. Bruce, too," she added, her hands dropping to her sides as a fierce debate played across his face. It wasn't a complete lie, both of them had brought Tim up, the former more so than the latter, but not a lot and her only opinion had been that he was a mini-Bruce.

Apparently deciding that she wasn't up to anything nefarious or that he could take her down if she was, he relaxed a fraction. He nodded, still serious, and she could suddenly see Bruce in the suspicion still glinting in his eyes, the way he turned his body so he could spring into action at a moment's notice without appearing openly defensive.

"So, Diana, yeah? Are you a friend of Bruce then?" He asked, voice deceptively light.

"Yes, I am." His eyes trailed over her body and she crossed her arms over her chest, reminding herself that Bruce would be annoyed at picking his adopted son out of the wall. Didn't mean she would just let it go, drawing on her heritage to sound authoritative as she slowly approached him. "Generally when people speak to me, I'd like to look them in the eye."

He nodded, grinning mischievously and stepped back to let her out of the room. "Well, okay, just because you asked. I'll show you around, it's quite rude to leave a beautiful lady wandering around by herself."

"But he-" She

He interrupted, she scowled. "It's a nice day outside. Have you seen the fountain yet? Really beautiful, you'll love it, I'll show you." His turned so he was in front of her, a pleasant smile on his face as he offered her his arm. She stared at it suspiciously, wondering of his motive and almost sickening sweetness.

Despite her open disbelief, he kept the charming smile on his face. Then, he shifted, and though he was shorter than her, his entire presence seemed to take up the hallway, blocking her exit. Reluctantly, she sighed, taking the offered arm as her admiration shot up a few notches. She shouldn't have been surprised at his ability to do that either, he was trained by Bruce after all. "Alright, lead the way."

His steps were quick down the hallway and stairs, without actually appearing to do so as he spoke, filling nearly every second with a prattle of words that Diana kept up with just barely. She resisted the urge to slip away, knowing that Bruce's son was just being polite as he pointed out marble statues, pieces of armor, paintings, and every other elegance in the manor that she had studied earlier.

"-and was a vase that the Wayne family bought in like 19-something. Granted, Bruce told me that so I can't imagine how truthful it is, but he's old enough to have lived during that time, right? What are you doing with the old man anyway? You're like… mid-twenties at most, there's no way you're into that."

Into what? She didn't know, but fought laughter as she responded gently, "He's not that old." If only he knew that Diana was quite a bit older than everybody in Wayne manor. _Probably older than the vase too_ , she thought, looking at it intently until the tug on her arm pulled her away from it.

He didn't look surprised by her answer, like he heard it all the time. "Well, I think he is, but whatever you want to believe, I'll trust your judgment on this one. Here we are, by the way, hear the water?" Tim tilted his head to listen and she did too, listening the soothing flow of water splashing, reminding her of the waves on Themyscira and a sense of longing for her home. He broke her from his thoughts as he pulled her forward, down the front steps and past the empty road, through an opening in the tall bushes and flowers she could barely see.

It was beautiful, he definitely got that right, but a little too sophisticated for her tastes, like someone trying really hard to be something. Still, the white fountain, with the water falling down gently, reflecting the sunlight and the vines that crept around it were quite nice, but there were too many flashing gems and brilliant, unnatural lights. Too distracting, not enough relaxing, it was even giving her a headache.

"Why is this hidden here?" She asked, not wanting to step on the grass or the flowers even if she longed to touch the water.

"To get private time with someone. Not that I'm trying to do that," he clarified quickly when she turned on him with arched brows, amusement clear on his face. He turned red, coughing awkwardly and fixing his sleeves when his phone went off. He fished it out, still embarrassed, read it swiftly, looking up apologetically. "Sorry about this, Deana, but I've got to run real quick. I'll be right back, just stay here."

"My name is-" She started, insulted, when he turned and left quickly, messing around with his phone. She heard the crunch of gravel beneath his shoes and his ineligible mutters before it became silent again outside and while she wanted to head back inside, she found that she actually enjoyed the heat.

The fountain still hurt her head to look at directly, but she enjoyed the sound of it. Soon, she found herself sitting down on the path, head tilted back to enjoy the sun as it caressed her face, watching the sky and the blueness of it, drifting to old memories of training with sisters back on Themyscira and laughing with friends in the sunlight.

Since the League had expanded to include all their other members, Diana thought they would have more time to enjoy the sunshine, but it seemed like even with everybody else, there wasn't time for this.

Now it seemed like there was time.

* * *

A drop of water hit her nose and she woke up, confused by the clouds and the brief peeks of light behind them as they moved as sleep tried to drag her back into its embrace. It almost won too, but a drop hit her cheek, another to her throat, and she realized that she was completely awake now.

 _Tim isn't coming back_ , she concluded after collecting her bearings and realizing that she had been outside for quite a while now, her body aching from laying on the floor for…. however long it had been. She wasn't quite sure what time it was yet, but she was determined to find out. It had been around noon when Bruce woke up, three when she left the Batcave, and not long after that Tim had found her, dragged her outside, and then ditched her.

What an accurate and terrible summary of the day, she realized, frowning at the lack of nothing she had done. Unless Bruce had figured out using his very intelligent mind, they'd made no progress today on the spell and how to break it, with no help from her. She could have done something productive, like see how far she could trek away from Bruce before the pain became unbearable. It wouldn't offer much, but it would be _something_ to show for the day.

Then, she sensed something behind her and smiled. It wasn't a bad feeling or a battle instinct that warned of somebody approaching her unprotected back, but the sudden lessening pain in her head that warned her that Bruce was close. Very close, it turned out, when he stepped into her field of view only a moment later, looking almost relieved as he offered her a hand up. "Do you normally sleep a lot?"

She accepted, smiling thankfully. "How do you know I was sleeping, Mr. Wayne?"

He drew her close, drawing the breath from her lungs with his proximity, his hand reaching out and she flushed, wondering if he would stroke her cheek until it reached her hair. Then he pulled back again, a small grin on his face as he held a yellowing leaf to her. "You were laying down, obviously."

"That doesn't mean I was asleep," she pointed out, backing away from him carefully. _Self-control meet Diana, Diana meet self-control, learn to be friends_ , she thought with a string of greek curses.

He tucked one of his hands into his pocket, the other still holding the leaf, looking at it critically. Not with the eyes of Bruce Wayne, the playboy, but with the eyes of just Bruce. "No, it doesn't, but I already sensed that part. This was just the proof."

Diana stared at the leaf with him. "Proof of what?"

"That I'm not crazy when Alfred questioned where you were and I told him you were asleep," he replied quietly. "I didn't really think about it, I just knew it. Kind of creepy when I put it into words though. We really need to figure this out before something worse happens."

"What could get worse?"

"I could not be able to block out your thoughts, we could end up sharing dreams, you could end up needing to hold my hand for the rest of your immortal life. Either of those three, I'm sure there's others," he ticked off, watching her glare at him while he grinned innocently. "Oh, I could turn into you. Flash suspects that's what the spell is intending to do."

"You're right, that is creepy," she agreed. "Besides, if you read my thoughts, then there won't be any surprise parties in the future."

Bruce shook his head. "I don't really like surprises anyway."

"I better call Wally and tell him, he's been planning something for weeks now," she deadpanned.

He ignored her, deciding not to think too hard about what what Flash could have in mind. "What were you doing out here anyway? Alfred checked most of the rooms and couldn't find you anywhere, he was near asking Tim to go out on a search party until I stepped in and told him I would get you," he said, exasperated at the thought of those two looking into her disappearance. She guessed he was thinking of the many terrible things that could go wrong.

She realized then that Tim was evil because he knew exactly where she was and didn't feel the need to inform Alfred of that fact. Was it his plan to ditch her the entire time? Lead her outside, toss her to the fountain, and make her wait for however long it took for him to return? Maybe he was having a laugh about it too, she would have to get him back somehow. He must have thought she was one of Bruce's _other_ friends, the ones he used to throw people off from Batman. While his obvious care and loyalty to his mentor lightened her annoyance, it didn't entirely douse out the flames.

Bruce touched her arm lightly, a question on his face. She found her voice again, discarding the idea of bringing up Tim when there was a risk that Bruce would tip him off to her plot in some form of Bat-loyalty. "I was just exploring, found this little place. Did the billionaire playboy in you design this?"

He dropped his hand. "Partially, the fountain was already here, I just added to it. It's a good way to get people out of the house, I generally show them and pretend to have a call. Eventually, they'll leave." He shrugged indifferently, uncaring to how long someone sat here waiting for him to return.

Apparently her plot would have to include Bruce too since he gave Tim the idea. She didn't know how she would get them, but she would figure it out. Maybe Alfred would be willing? "That's terrible, isn't it easier to just tell them to leave?"

"I can only use the same excuse so many times before people start to get suspicious, this way happens to work the best since nobody will talk about being forgotten, they would consider it an embarrassment. I don't need somebody poking around here with questions about why I'm not acting normal," he said defensively, shaking his head.

"They might notice a few things are off, I suppose," she sighed reluctantly. Secret identities sounded tedious, she was grateful that she didn't have to be anything other than Wonder Woman sometimes. Because he seemed likely to launch into something else, perhaps how serious it was to hide his identity even though she _knew_ that already, she changed the subject. "Did you find anything?"

He licked his lips to reply and she tried not to be distracted by the movement when the heavens decided it was the moment to open. The rain fell without regards to who it hit or how harshly, soaking them within seconds. She laughed at his expression, the annoyance that flashed across his handsome face, so unfitting of the playboy but so fitting for Batman that she was surprised nobody could figure out his identity.

"Let's go inside, Alfred will already have our heads for lingering out here when it's dinner time without coming inside looking like drowned rats," he muttered, turning his back to her and heading for the door. She followed, still laughing as the rain dripped down her face and the knowledge that she was beyond a drowned rodent now. He didn't look much better either, his white shirt sticking to his body, showing off the fine ridges of his back as he walked in front of her.

Her laughter dried up, her face warming so much she was surprised that Bruce didn't notice the water drying up from the heat when he turned back to her, surprised by her sudden silence. She watched him freeze, his eyes flickering down her body, where her clothes clung to her skin in much the same way his did and he swallowed, his adam's apple moving, his eyes settling on her face with undisguised lust. He opened the door almost mechanically, not taking his eyes off of her.

She moved closer to get by him, but he didn't move, their eyes locking, and his hand rose to her hair, moving a piece from her face carefully, his fingers trailing across her cheek with the movement. They stood in the doorway, just watching the other silently, blown away yet again by the attractive beauty of the other. _Hera_ , she thought, frozen in place, battling against hope that he would kiss her and the fear that if he did, he would reject her again. She didn't know what she wanted to happen.

His hand didn't move from her face, his finger tips still resting against her cheek, and her hand rose to cover it hesitantly. His eyes didn't turn from her as he moved his hand to hold her head gently, almost thoughtfully. He moved a fraction closer. Her faced warm more, her eyes flickering to his lips. Now she knew what she wanted. They were chapped, but beautiful and she longed to see what they tasted like. She thought they were moving closer to her, agonizingly slow just to taunt her and-

"I appreciate pausing in the foyer to not ruin the carpet, but standing there in your wet clothes will only lead to a dreadful cold," Alfred scolded from around the corner, appearing with a stack of towels and a reprimand on his tongue when he spotted the open door that froze instantly when he spotted them. His feet paused, wondering if he could slip away and let them continue.

But the moment was over. Bruce jerked back from her like he had been struck, the tenderness fading from his face and replaced with guilt, alarm, _suspicion_. She turned to face Alfred, accepting a towel that he wordlessly passed to her, not wanting to see Bruce's face or the thoughts that would be drifting across it when her own was already flushed with embarrassment and _longing._

 _Oh, Aphrodite,_ she thought sullenly, patting her face dry. She heard Bruce mumble about getting changed into dry clothes, disappearing without another word, his footsteps brisk as they lead farther away from her.

She didn't need to see him to know that an ice wall had shot up between them. It hurt, mingling in with the ache as he got farther away, and she pressed the towel firmly against her face, not wanting to see Alfred's silent apology.

She understood. There was a reason they attempted distance, it wouldn't work between them, no matter how much Diana wished otherwise. She composed herself, knowing that Alfred still stood there, waiting for her patiently even though she wished to be alone.

"Well, Miss, it is not my place to give advice, but considering I ruined what would hopefully have been the end of such a heartbreaking dance, I will make an exception and forget pleasantries, if you will allow me," Alfred announced when she picked her face up, twining the towel around her hair. He offered her another, waiting for a sign on whether to continue or not.

Wordlessly, she wiped her arms down, taking her time in a silent gesture to continue. She accepted that they couldn't be together, but the decision hurt so much more, fracturing her resolve to end things completely.

Funny how ending it didn't seem to be working, their months of effort unraveled in just a few seconds of being alone together as Diana and Bruce without the responsibilities of Wonder Woman and Batman to come between them.

"Don't give up. That is, if your heart is telling you something, then it would be wise to listen. Master Bruce has long forgotten that lesson, forcing his heart away to allow the Bat to live, going as far as to push away any emotions that are powerful enough to overcome it so he doesn't lose sight of the mission. I hope that he will someday reclaim his heart enough to let it breathe, but I don't think he can do it alone. His logic is far stronger than his emotions..." He trailed off, letting out an uncharacteristic sigh before forcing himself back into his proper role of being aloof. It got harder to do everyday. "Now that an old man has spoken his mind, I recommend new clothes and, perhaps, a warm shower?"

He smiled gently at her blank expression and turned on his heel to leave, his footsteps unheard even with the utter silence of the manor.

* * *

She skipped dinner that night, her hunger nonexistent within the twisting and churning of her stomach as she sat beneath her window, looking outside at the raging rain and howling wind. Alred's words spun around her head in circles at dizzing speeds, adding to her discomfort, to the ache in her chest that told her Bruce was in the cave and not in his room nearby.

As an Amazon, she felt foolish to be examining every line of her relationship with Bruce as though it was more important than figuring out Circe's curse, but as a woman, she found the stress of sitting so close to her love and not being able to even hold him hurt just as bad. The fact that she knew he returned her feelings only added to it, fondly remembering the times where they instinctively looked at the other in battle, only briefly to ensure that that they held air in their lungs, or the inch closer they moved whenever the other was near, sometimes without realizing it.

Diana took a breath to center herself, pressing her back into the wall and letting her eyes close as she remembered all his reasons for not being together that had somehow seeped into her and pushing away her want to jump to her feet. She wasn't going to take action, she would _think_ this through. If he knew, he would be proud that she wasn't barging in, demanding to know why, but she didn't think that would last long once he figured out why.

For months, she hadn't even thought about why she gave up, just settled in with the knowledge that they _couldn't_ be together, but now she let herself think, pulling his annoying list from memory despite the year it had been since he told her.

 _One: dating within the team always leads to disaster_ , she recalled. While Shayera and John had certainly ended in disaster, Diana also knew that it hadn't affected their respective League duties since Shayera's return too bad. Likewise, she heard the circulating rumors about Black Canary and Green Arrow, only a fool wouldn't have noticed that starting up and there wasn't any difficulties from them being together. She scratched that off his ridiculous list.

 _Two: you're a princess from a society of immortal warriors; I'm a rich kid with issues... lots of issues._ She didn't know what to do about that one considering her immortality wasn't something she could just ask the Gods to revoke, but if she could, if there was a way, then Diana would find it. But was that a concern now? Not for her. But Bruce had said earlier that day about not being able to live with a maybe. She put it aside anyway because _she_ could live with this maybe and she deserved a say too.

His issues were another story. She knew what some of them were, discovering them through research and personal experience with how unpleasant they could be, but Diana didn't care about what issues he had. She loved him unconditionally, issues and bad temper and every other flaw in his personality included. They would handle that, they would overcome them. There was never a doubt about that, his issues had never put her off from him.

 _Three: if my enemies knew I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they'd gotten to me, through her._ She snorted in the silence of her bedroom. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she could hold her own against most of their enemies, though her laughter ground to a halt as she recalled what Bruce had told her about the Joker today. The man was…

She didn't know entirely if there was a word for him and the atrocities he had committed in his mortal life, but she knew that he was one of the worst people that Gotham could offer, that brute strength couldn't always beat him. Arrogance could lead to death.

But she realized with a jolt that she still didn't care, she could fear what his enemies could do to her as much as she feared what hers could do to him until she was blue and it wouldn't change anything. They could die so easily in this delicate life of theirs already, she knew that, having seen the worst of monsters and villains, having stared death in the face more than once since she arrived in Man's World, and that's why _living_ was so important. She didn't live her life on What-Ifs so why would she let love be any different? This wasn't living, not completely.

A flash of lightning and the roar of thunder spooked her out of her thoughts, but she was done contemplating them anyway, didn't want to allow herself the chance to second guess her decision. She got up from the floor, stretching the tension from her muscles, pulling the curtains wide open to rest her palms against the cold glass.

Every one of her senses were awake now, like a veil had been lifted from them, and in the darkness of her room, where nobody could see or hear, she allowed herself to smile blissfully with the knowledge that she loved him, that she would fight for him.

The door knocked behind her and her smile fell.

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh, Tim, as if I could leave you out of this story, you play a part too. I know, you want more BMWW moments, don't worry, we'll see more of that soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here we are for chapter four! This chapter actually got pretty long so I had to split it up into two slightly shorter than normal chapters, but that just means that chapter five will be up much sooner! I did my best to proofread, but my eyes may have missed something so if you do see anything wrong, please let me know! Thank you everyone for the reviews, favorites, PMs, etc!

 **Disclaimer:** Very few villains and heroes were harmed in the making of this fanfiction. No money was made from the pain or the entertainment though because these characters _still_ don't belong to me. Also, _blood_ warning in this chapter, for anybody who would be triggered by that, but nothing graphic!

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

"Diana, we need to go." Bruce knocked sharply on the door a second time, but this time not waiting for a response before opening it. Impolite, but effective since she jumped to her feet and strode over to him, expression worried and... _guilty_. He stopped, blinking in surprise as her eyes flashed over his face, assessing for injuries that didn't exist.

"Did something happen? Is it the League? Is it Circe?" Diana asked in a rush, puzzled.

He shook his head. "Gotham, come on, I can explain on the way." He gestured for her to head out, politely choosing to ignore her fluffy slippers and Tim's bedroom door as he passed. Tim could enjoy his nap before patrol, he had a big test in the morning that determined whether he continued as Robin when this blew over, and Bruce could handle whatever Gotham wanted to throw at him.

Especially with Diana's help, even if he couldn't let her use her powers. He had sparred with her enough to know she was dangerous with or without them, after all. He began speaking again, a fierce scowl developing on his face. "There's a hostage situation at a gala just a couple of miles away from here that the police are occupied with and there's a fire at Arkham, but because everyone is preoccupied with that, the police hasn't been able to tell if this is a plotted escape or an accident. We need to go scope out the situation before they get out, assuming it is an escape plan." If they haven't already left, he thought, annoyed at the delayed information.

"Who is they?" She asked slowly, trying to make sense of how many people they'd be beating up and throwing back inside the asylum today.

"Nearly every person in there," he said wearily. At her flabbergasted expression, he almost smiled. "Welcome to Gotham, Princess. There's breakouts from Arkham often, better to get it quick than wait."

They got to the clock and he didn't waste anymore time in getting them into the cave, taking the steps two at a time until they got to the bottom. He hit a few buttons on the computer and the wall hissed, pulling up a display case that contained his armor before he turned to her, looking over her pajamas critically, no longer ignoring the slippers which he looked at pointedly.

She shuffled her feet then cocked her hip defensively. "What do you need me to do?"

He continued staring at her slippers before he turned and walked into another room, where he pulled out a standard issue SWAT uniform that looked about her size then returned to the room, tossing it to her. "Put that on. I know you don't need most of the protection, but you can't be Wonder Woman here and this is the best thing to wear to blend in. You can change in there, we need to be leaving in five minutes."

Diana looked mildly annoyed, probably at being bossed around, but relented with a firm nod, seeming to recognize that this wasn't the time to question him. There were very few times to question him, actually, but he didn't want her to come to that conclusion tonight. He got into the batsuit in record time, but left the cowl off as he started to fill up two utility belts, frowning at the surveillance videos from outside Arkham.

So far, nobody appeared to have left, no doubt still struggling through the rubble of the front entrance. But that could change in an instant, especially when the police didn't even try to get inside.

She came out next, still looking remarkably like Wonder Woman. He supposed that's what happened when you didn't wear a mask or have a secret identity, but at least when she put the hat on and the cloth covering her mouth, she could pass off as a normal SWAT woman.

"Don't use your powers unless you have no other options. Try to knock them out quickly and, if possible, silently. Stay in the shadows as much as possible. This will help if you need it, there's bolas, batarangs, smoke pellets, and cuffs. Grapple too, use it, hopefully your skills aren't rusty with it, but we don't have time to practice." He passed over the utility belt after tapping over where everything was, watching her wrap it around her waist to blend in seamlessly with her outfit. He put his own on and grabbed his cowl, nodding at her, heading towards the batmobile. The canopy slid open and he jumped in, driving faster than the speed limit would have allowed. Thankfully, the late hour meant nobody was around and a nifty new addition that turned all the lights green let them bypass any unnecessary stops. But Bruce could sense Diana's unease anyway, even though he couldn't detect the specifics reasons for it. Yet.

She broke the silence with a light, if not hesitate, joke. "Does this make me Robin 2.0?"

"I think you're Agent for now," he replied, giving her a look that was completely ignored.

"You aren't going to say Agent Bat are you? Because I will laugh," she warned, pulling the cloth over her mouth so that he couldn't see her lips or nose anymore. Her eyes still twinkled though and that was enough to draw him in, to stare at her instead of the road until confusion made its way across her face at his reaction.

"We'll figure out the second part later, Agent." Forcibly, he turned his gaze from her bright eyes to the road, swerving around a corner after corner until they came to a complete stop in a dark, dingy alley that only a fool would leave their car in. Or someone with the utmost confidence that very few would be able to get past the security measures their vehicle has, he added with a smirk. He jumped out silently, she followed just as quietly. "We go on foot from here. Keep close, stay in the shadows still."

"Got it," she whispered, saluting. He didn't respond, grappling away. Her skills needed a little practice, he wasn't surprised to note, but she handled it with skill befitting a warrior, appearing on the rooftop two buildings from where the batmobile was, crouching beside him. From their position, they could see Arkham, whose imposing front gates reminded locked and shut, keeping people in and the good guys out, but in the back, farther than he could see without his cowl zooming in, the building that housed some of Gotham's most dangerous was on fire, great billowing smoke flying freely into the sky, the flames slowly but surely consuming at the entrance of the structure.

"What do you see?" He questioned, zooming in more with his lenses despite his request. Two sets of eyes was better than one, she might see something he couldn't and he wanted to be prepared, now more than ever for what could happen. He wanted her to be ready too. If something happened to her, for being with him in Gotham now, he would never forgive himself. _Focus_ , Bruce thought, shaking his head clear.

She frowned. "It's still on fire, clearly, but I can't see much aside from that. Whoever is in there won't make it out that exit, I can already see part of it caved in."

He grunted. "They'll try anyway if it means getting out."

They moved from the rooftop once more, mutely enjoying the exhilaration of swinging through the air, and eventually came to a stop inside another alley. Just in front of them, they could see two police cars blocking off the front gates, their lights off and the officers standing off to the side, watching Arkham with fear and determination that told him a lot about who they were. He rolled his eyes beneath this cowl, wishing that they had sent some people with more experience here to help. Apparently people were too used to Arkham attempted breakouts.

"Stay here, I'll be back," he ordered. She rolled her eyes, but nodded, staying in the shadows. Her grappling needed work, but her ability to blend into nothing but darkness was impressive.

Bruce approached the man clearly in charge, who stood whispering orders to the two crouched in front of him, who froze when they saw the Batman behind their co-worker. "S-Sir," one boy stuttered, a rookie who hadn't been this close to the vigilante before or even this close to anything like the dangers of Gotham if his shaking hands were anything to go by.

"What?" Detective Darren Hugo snapped, turning on his heel, nearly falling over when he spotted the rodent man. He contained his reaction to an automatic step back rather than the shout that had tried to strangle free from his throat, but Bruce spotted the twist anyway, containing his grin. Some thought he did it to further the legend, and he did to some extent, but if asked point blank, he would admit it was also to see their faces.

As someone who was supposed to be an emotionless vigilante, he had to get amusement somehow and this hardly hurt anyone.

"How long?" Bruce rasped instantly.

Darren Hugo made a face at him at the demand, his mustache bristling with indignation. The rookie beside him stood in awe. Bruce suddenly missed Jim Gordon, who didn't take this long to get with the program and explain things to him, mainly because he didn't doubt that the Batman was on his side.

Apparently, Darren Hugo had reservation still. So many years of service, some of which they would never know about but a lot of which they did, and people still doubted his intentions of helping Gotham.

"How long has the fire been going?" He clarified, voice growing colder.

Darren Hugo didn't reply. Rookie cleared his throat though. "About forty-five minutes ago, we ain't been able to get inside. Nobody gotten out yet either. Those gates ain't opening for anything and short of ramming our cars, we haven't got a damn clue on how to proceed from here."

"Whole damn place could burn to the ground before we get inside at this right. Can't say I'd be disappointed, all those damn crazies in there," hissed another cop from nearby, leaning on the hood of his car with binoculars. "You'd think with all the rain from earlier, there wouldn't even _be_ a fire."

"There are people inside still. Staff and the like," Darren said, turning to give them both a harsh look for speaking and another to keep quiet. They nodded sheepishly, he glanced back at Batman, the relief that Bruce was still standing there apparent on his face. "There's a malfunction with the gate according to a source inside, but we lost contact with them fifteen minutes ago. SWAT should be arriving soon though and we'll figure it out, your help isn't needed."

When had that ever stopped him? They looked like they needed his help too. He thought one of the rookies agreed because he straightened up, eyes narrowed beneath his cap. "Sir, someone needs to check inside and figure out what's going on, you said there were staff and people inside. Maybe he can get the gates open? Our source said there was a manual override key he would use to get it open," he said, his eyes flashing past Darren Hugo to lock on him, the hint clear. Even better, Darren Hugo rounded on him with fire in his eyes and in that moment, Bruce slipped away from them, back to Diana in the alley.

He couldn't see her, but he didn't attempt to, knowing that she was there and waiting for him still. A second sense that he would question later when he wasn't pressed for time.

"Find anything?" She inquired, still looking at Arkham with watchful eyes.

"Not a natural fire," he admitted, thinking of the annoyed cops words. It had been raining too much for the fire to have started as long as it did, the storm had only eased about an hour ago after all. "Nobody's left yet, staff included. Gates are stuck too, nobody on the controls to get them open from either end anymore."

She caught the end of his words, her eyebrows creasing. "Anymore?"

"They lost contact with their source thirty minutes ago."

Diana nodded, her worry palpable to him without the need of his extra sense. Something shifted in her stance, turning to face him with narrowing eyes and though her next request ended in a question, he could hear the demand layer beneath it. "Don't suppose I could just fly us over inside?"

His scowled fiercely. There was a number of other ways they could get in, but now that he knew how long Arkham had been under this and at least one potential casualty, he couldn't let the time slip away any farther. So Bruce did something that wasn't normal for him, but had already become normal the past few days: he gave in. Reluctantly. "Straight up and then back down onto the roof right there."

"Got it, no one will see a thing," she told him seriously, wrapping her arms around him carefully, only a small blush on her face from their closeness as they shot into the air, his arms holding her back. The wind whistled in their ears coming up, but that was nothing compared to the speed they came down, so quickly that Bruce would have feared for their lives if it was anybody else. But it was just as exhilarating as grappling, if only for a few seconds before he realized how close together they were.

Her arms tightened around him. This was the closest he had been to her ever and, remembering how he had nearly kissed the life out of her earlier that day, her form pressed against him bothered him more than he should allow it. He swallowed hard, relieved when their feet landed on the uneven roof, releasing her swiftly. She let him go almost suspiciously slow. A quick glance at her face told him nothing, but he swore that, briefly, he felt something like a flicker of determination go through her, far stronger than any emotions he'd felt from her in ages.

He would solve that mystery later, there was a job to do and the just Bruce needed to take a backseat to the Batman. The flames hadn't reached this portion of the building, but the wind pushed the smoke in their direction, offering a convenient cover from any observers. He tilted his head towards the edge of the roof and headed towards it, attaching his grapple to the roof and testing the strength of the line before lowering himself down the side of the building. The window couldn't lock unless the rest of the building was in lockdown, even if it appeared to from the inside. By design, of course, if he ever needed a quick, alternate entrance inside and this was one such situation. He landed inside without a sound and a moment later, Diana arrived too.

They didn't say anything once inside, anxiousness of what they would soon face and determination to beat it prodding them into silence. Bruce looked around the room, taking in the dust and overall decay of a room nobody had used in months and though it relieved him that nobody was here to bother them, he didn't enjoy the question of _where_ everybody was. He listened at the same time, but there was no sound outside of the room either and he ventured out into the hallway after a moment, keeping to the shadows as he moved and nodding Diana over when it became clear that nobody was here in this immediate section.

Arkham was eerily silent, no screams or shouts or even cajoling echoing down the hallways. The lights overhead seemed only partially on, most of them flickering and sending long, moving shadows in all directions. He didn't like this at all, every instinct in him tense and ready for something to happen. Even the staff should have been making noise in an attempt to get out, the scurry of footsteps not attempting to hide should have been the dominant sound here, but there was nothing.

He didn't linger, knowing from the light, yet harsh scent of smoke that the flames were creeping close, and he decided to move on. But he half-expected them to be jumped as soon as they started moving, back-to-back, towards an area where he knew a few people, ones that he hoped were inside if only to prevent an ugly and tedious battle, were kept in reinforced cells. Before they even reached it, he knew there would be nobody in there, most likely running amok in a different area of Arkham, the air too thick from lack of movement. He was very, very wrong.

"Great-" Diana started, but her lips clamped together and halted the rest of her words. Her horror continued silently, reflecting in her eyes as he turned a fraction to look at her, equally surprised but unable to show it. "What happened?"

"Croc happened." He would recognize the method anywhere, nobody else was as bloody in their killing as him, but aside from the gruesome death that Bruce added to the list of Killer Croc's crimes, the most telling piece of evidence was the ruined cuffs on the floor, meant specifically for him just like this cell. Burned, he guessed, spotting the discoloration among the broken pieces. Both pieces of protection had failed to hold Croc.

Then, among the blood, he could spot white fabric and, pinned to the bed, was an obscured name tag of a doctor that had paid Croc's anger with their life and he could no longer pretend, in a very small part of his mind, that it was something else. A phone lay smashed near the bed and a piece fell into place. Now he knew what happened to the police's inside source.

Bruce's jaw clenched, turning away from the scene and pulling his rage into a deadly calm, and he went into the cell, waving Diana to stay away. She let him. Finally, beneath the largest piece of fabric, Bruce found the key, hoping that it was the one that would lead them to opening the gates and getting the police in here. He wanted to finish this quickly, before he had another body to add to someone's list. He pocketed the key and stood up. "Let's go, nobody is here."

"How do you know?" She wanted justice for the life that had cruelly been taken here.

"They would have called to us." Diana's outburst, though small and quiet compared to what it could be considering the outrage pouring from her, would have attracted attention to anyone here. He couldn't find himself to be mad either, the free expression of her emotions lessening his own blinding anger marginally. "They aren't here."

Diana didn't move immediately, bowing her head in a silent prayer for a safe departure into the afterlife. When she finished, her anger not satisfied but calmed, they continued to look. Though they found no mess as horrible as that one and no death at all so far, Bruce could see why there was no staff running around the further they went as they freed another pair of doctors from their capture inside a cell that _should_ have held Harley Quinn. He wasn't surprised that she was nowhere in sight.

Diana waved smelling salts under every doctor's nose until they woke up, calming them when they lashed out in fear with soothing murmurs that Batman would have never accomplished. Some cried, some fainted again, and some, like the pair they looked at now, woke up and managed to form coherent sentences to explain what happened.

"-the rounds when this… earthquake of sorts rattled nearly every window. And... I don't know..." An older gentleman not much younger than Alfred began to speak, sounding hoarse and out of breath, but managing to stay cool under Bruce's cold, observing stare. Maybe it the sympathy and encouragement in Diana's that helped him continue. "Well, let's see, I turn to my co-worker, wondering what it was, when the doors began to open and _they_ started to come out. We attempted to calm them, but... I got struck upside the head by Ms. Quinzel and then I woke up here. I'm sorry, that's all I know."

Bruce's jaw tightened more, but he nodded shortly while Diana lead the doctor to a nearby room farther away. She came back, hands on her hips and managing to look _more_ like Wonder Woman than she did in her normal costume when her gaze landed on him. "We need to get these people out of here, I can smell the smoke from here, the fire is spreading and the police haven't made it inside yet."

He nodded, "We need a command room then."

Her hands dropped. "Is there one nearby? We can't leave the civilians here defenseless while that killer is Hera knows where! Why didn't I just kick the gates open?"

"Killers," he corrected, already reaching into his utility belt. "And you didn't because you can't. You're Agent, not Wonder Woman."

"That's a terrible name, we're fixing that when we're done here," she said, frowning. "But, what are we going to do? We really can't leave them behind."

Civilians before villains, Bruce thought with a sigh, pushing away his want to find everybody inside and put them back where they belong. Instead, he went to the window and ripped it open, smokey air blowing into the room and shut it with a heavy sigh. Plan A won't work, he put his grapple away again. Plan B then. "Harley's cell is the farthest from the fire, we put them inside and block off the door."

"What if the fire gets here?"

"Then we'll break a rule," he said, frowning. "But it won't come to that. Security and back, we get the gate open and get them out of the building through another exit."

"Why aren't we just leading them-" She stopped, shaking her head. "We don't know where everyone is, if we run into one of them then it's offering them hostages."

"Close quarters combat is difficult enough without having to protect eight people," he added, letting his cape fall around his shoulders. With minimum effort, they returned to the doctors who were pacing impatiently in an office across the way from them, close enough that Bruce could keep an ear on them, but far enough that they couldn't hear a thing the two discussed. He let Diana take the lead, explaining the plan to them while he went ahead to survey Harley's cell, pushing open the door again with narrowed, considering eyes.

It would be a tight squeeze for so many people, but better squished than _dead_. Diana returned, leading them and reassuring them at the same time of their safety. "I promise," she said again to a younger intern who had all but latched onto Diana's arm. She didn't object to it, probably used to it by now. "Just be brave for this and stay quiet, nobody will think twice of looking in here, especially if they think you're still tied up."

The intern looked like they wanted to object, but nodded and followed her superiors inside with only one wary backwards glance. Diana swallowed uncomfortably when the door closing cut it off, staying silent when Bruce locked the door as they had found it a few minutes earlier. As she had ordered, the doctors were remaining quiet while she adjusted the other rooms to make it seem as though nobody had come this way.

He turned on his heel once satisfied with his side, Diana finishing up her last one before following his form down the dark hallways towards the security room. Diana sniffed the air cautiously for smoke, but didn't detect anything. The fire wasn't getting closer. Yet.

Despite his growing tension, they got to the room with no delays at all, stopping in front of a plain, unassuming door at the far end of D-wing, nestled between an empty office and a supply room. He pushed it open, frown deepening at the empty room. It was small and cramped, the monitors hanging from floor to ceiling that _should have_ displayed all of Arkham taking up much of the room while the controls to the left took up most of the rest. Both systems were off, but the point remained: there wasn't enough room in here for both of them. Good countermeasure against an ambush, he mused. Anybody would hear somebody else getting into the room, even if it meant little comfort.

Not that it did a security guard any good apparently, but considering Bruce wasn't stepping over his remains to reach the computer, the guard must have gotten away. Or we didn't find him yet, he thought with an internal wince. He took the seat, powering up the system, relieved when it started immediately. Too easily considering the hassle of getting the gates open, he thought suspiciously, looking over at Diana watching over his shoulder. "I don't like this, watch the hallway, if anything moves, tell me," he ordered.

She stepped away obediently, standing guard by the door.

He dug the key out of his belt, giving him free reign in the system if it wasn't for the lock down procedure that demanded a key from every level of security in the building. Damn effective, but annoying, he needed to look into getting a bypass code for his use, there wasn't enough time to find all the damn keys and even less people to handle them. He tried a different approach, attempting to hack the controls that would get the gate open.

"This doesn't feel right," she admitted after a while of quiet except for the clicking of keys. He considered shushing her or ignoring her, but decided he liked having his head and decided a grunt sufficed. Bit caveman like, but better than nothing. "Not what we're doing, but the situation. I don't get why someone went to so much trouble to break people out, but nobody has actually escaped yet. The front door can't be the only exit in this building, you mentioned another one."

"It's not the only exit, the other ones are just harder to get through obviously." Bruce warned her, "There's something else going on, they wouldn't have put so much effort into keeping everything closed off from the police when it meant keeping everyone inside too. And a lot of work to keep me from getting it open."

She looked over her shoulder at the screen, where little progress had been made. "Can't get in?"

He grimaced. "Working on it." Maybe he should have brought Robin, he could have had Tim doing this while Bruce and Diana went to round up the rest of the inmates. But he knew that Tim would be busy on patrol by now and crime didn't stop just because Arkham was on fire. Explosions here happened nearly once a month, unfortunately.

"Anyway, the doctor said the windows were rattling, right? Must have been an explosion of sorts that started the fire, explains why it managed despite how wet things are. But there are better, more subtle ways of breaking people out than this," she waved in a wide gesture towards the fire and doctors they had secured, worry in her eyes. "Especially during a storm. Why not cut the power?"

"Cutting the power locks all the rooms, nobody would have been able to escape," he informed her.

She frowned, considering. "But nobody can escape now either. The police will apprehend them before they get far."

"Not with that hostage situation, there's only a few people out there and they won't wait for much longer once the fire department arrives. Puts it out of their hands and somebody has to respond to any other distress calls."

"Well then-Incoming!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please! Next chapter will be up within the next day or so!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** This chapter was meant to be up 5/14 since it's been written since the _last_ chapter was out, but it was a fight to edit all of this and the chapter won a decent amount of the time. Aided and abetted by this crappy wifi where we're camping that made saving chapters difficult and researching things even more so.

 **Disclaimer:** At least two people were hurt in the making of this chapter, but since I don't own these characters, it didn't actually happen in canon. Wow, funny how not owning something works!

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

"Well then-Incoming!" Bruce shot to his feet as Diana disappeared from view.

In her place came a charging figure and Bruce paused in the doorway as it rammed their hands into her shoulder, throwing her back ten feet where she crashed unceremoniously to the floor with a surprised groan. "How dare you," she seethed, getting back to her feet, anger fading away when she got a good look at _it_. Bruce could only imagine what she thought of Killer Croc: taller than Superman and nearly as broad, but that's where his human similarities ended and in place were his point mouth, very pointy talons for hands, and a long tail of all things, giving him the appearance of a humanoid crocodile. _A very pissed off crocodile_ , Bruce thought, standing back and reaching for a batarang in his utility belt as Croc snarled with rage, revealing sharp, shiny teeth. _Bloodied teeth_ , he realized a split second before Croc shot forward, talons aiming for her throat. Even Wonder Woman would succumb to that injury if it made contact.

She could dodge it, he knew as much, but Bruce couldn't let go of the instant reaction, the _instinct_ , to her in danger that had his hands lifting. A batarang pierced the air, crossing the few feet between them in an instant, hitting Croc's wrist uselessly before it clattered to the floor.

But it did what he intended. Croc froze briefly, recognizing the noise and the sudden scent that filled his nostrils, turning on his heel to face Bruce with what might have been a smirk. "Batman," he hissed, leaning forward to attack when Diana sprung in his distraction, her boot lashing out and hitting the back of his left knee, knocking him off balance enough for Bruce to bring his knee up into his face with equal success. Croc grunted, pulling back from the attack, annoyed but unfazed. "Why?"

"You killed someone, Croc," Bruce said coldly.

"Why do you bother when I can break your feeble bones?" Croc clarified, stretching out his talons thoughtfully, looking between the two of them as they blocked his exit on either side, wondering which threat to go after first: the human or the legend. He smirked, aiming for the Batman only to turn at the last second to swing a powerful fist at Diana, deciding that she would be easier to incapacitate. Or possibly as a hostage to keep Bruce at bay. Both were foolish choices though, as Diana demonstrated when she ducked under his attack and instead landed a vicious blow to his gut. With her full strength, it would have been enough to send him through the building, but without...

Croc merely fell back a step, growling. He charged again, trying to use his weight against her as Diana flattened against the wall, narrowly avoiding the attack. "Batman, get the gates," she ordered, sliding back just a little bit when Croc whirled around, expression twisting further in annoyance and confusion at her continuous dodges. "Just do it, I'll buy time. Getting everyone out is more important." _I'll be fine_ , her confidence said and his knowledge reminded, both knowing that this was a fight he didn't need to help in. Bruce nodded shortly, but still lingered for a moment to make sure, the instinct that made him move now locking him in place.

Diana ducked under a fist heading towards her face, responding with a punch to his elbow with _a little_ strength. He didn't seem phased, but did drag his arm back. Croc feinted a punch to her midsection, but switched at the last second to kick at her knees hard, mimicking her own attack from earlier. She managed to avoid the brunt of the hit by moving forward away from it, but the power behind his kick still knocked her legs out from under her. Unable to use her flight, Diana rolled out of the way of his attempt to stomp on her chest, throwing a kick to knock him away that missed. Horribly because he grabbed her foot, swinging her up in the air and slamming her against the wall. Her head connected painfully first and then the rest of her upper body followed, knocking the breath from her lungs. Dazed, she didn't respond immediately when he pulled her out.

When he tried the same move again though, Diana twisted in his grip, her other leg swinging down, heel aiming for the talons digging into her ankle. Bruce turned his attention back to the room and to the computer just in time to hear a grunt from Croc, telling him that Diana hit her target.

Another click, another password, and some smashing behind him and Bruce was in, looking at the locking mechanism that prevented the gates from being opened by any other means than a key in each level. The screen proclaimed it a lockdown too, but that _couldn't_ be right, Bruce had broken into half a dozen rooms already without any trouble and aside from needing more than two people to open it up again, _this_ wasn't anything like a lockdown at Arkham. There was a lot more pain involved when breaking in or out during that time, for starters. For another-

There was a crunch from further away, wood splintering under a force he couldn't see, and a snarl in Greek that told Bruce the one being pushed through a door was an ally.

Bruce tapped his cowl when there was more banging, rolling his eyes beneath his cowl. The two were at a stalemate, apparently, and Bruce could use a moment of silence to _think_. "Use a smoke pellet, throw it in his face, his surprise will give you a few seconds to put distance between you," Bruce instructed her, eyes flying over the coding for a place to even begin, a suspicion growing in the back of his mind.

She hummed in reply and he hoped she remembered where the smoke pellets even were until he heard spluttering and shouting that told him she did. A scurry of footsteps headed in his direction and he spotted a figure in black - _Diana_ , he guessed since they didn't pause to look at him - darting passed the doorway, disappearing into a shadow cast by the open door. "Are you using me as bait?" He muttered to her when the footsteps stopped a second later.

She shushed him, but didn't deny his accusation.

He focused back on the coding, spotting an unusual bit that made his alarm bells ring, and tried again to manually override the code, the only sign of discomfort at her plan being the electric batarang in his fist. _Just in case_ , he thought. That's who he was, contingencies no matter what, it didn't matter if somebody he trusted more than _nearly_ anybody was supposed to cover his back. It was just his way.

After a long and tense silence, Bruce heard Croc recovering from the disorienting feeling of being stuck in a cloud, something he should have expected from somebody hanging out with Batman, but didn't because of the purposely misleading SWAT uniform. Croc stalked forward, drawn to the light from the computer in an otherwise dark hallway, his heavy steps dragging across the linoleum agonizingly careful as he attempted stealth.

Diana, meanwhile, hadn't moved an inch yet.

Closer, closer, Croc picked up speed, giving up on the idea on trying to sneak up on him, knowing that he has no advantage in stealth when up against Bruce. Then, he could see Croc in the reflection of a monitor, preparing to dive, his talons sharpened and ready to take off his head, Bruce tensed, preparing to spring too. But what he could see and Croc couldn't was the shadow of Diana that came from the side, something shiny clenched in her fist - the batarang he had thrown earlier, he realized - and slammed into the side of his head. Croc flew face first into the wall, trying to rise back to his feet and retaliate, but too dazed to dodge Diana's foot when it connected hard with the back of his skull, slamming his face down. He slumped to the floor.

 _What now_ , her eyes asked, pulling her foot back and nudging him. When Croc didn't get up and try to snap her leg off in response, they both correctly assumed that he was out. He traded a pair of cuffs for the batarang, somewhat confused about what she needed it for when her bare fist would have been enough.

"We should get him into a cell," Bruce said aloud, putting his question aside. "Those cuffs won't last long, they aren't meant for _his_ strength."

"Because that cell really worked," she pointed out, breathless from the fight, but sucked in a sharp breath at the comment. They both recalled the mess in his previous cell, the person that had went to work that day and would never go home. It sobered the mood. Diana looked back down at the creature, her eyes hardening the longer she looked, her emotions growing more angry, prickling at his own rage.

There was a list of things he wanted to say in response, most of which involved his understanding, but Bruce sucked in the personal response, pushing out the cold efficiency of the Bat instead. "Keep your mind on what's important," he said sharply. Her eyes went to his, anger directing to him, but when he continued to stare, not at all apologetic, it fizzled out, replaced with melancholy that she attempted to cover.

"Did you get the gates open?" She asked, clearing her throat, snapping the cuffs on Croc.

He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking back at the computer. While Bruce could hack into just about anything with enough time, there was something awfully different about Arkham's security system than he was used to handling and the fact that he couldn't figure it out didn't just infuriate him, it _worried_ him.

"How many people have we found so far?" Diana asked suddenly.

"Eight. Nine if we count Croc," he amended with a look towards the still out killer, wondering how much of his knockout had to do with Diana's strength, his unfortunate collision with a concrete wall and floor within a few seconds, or a mixture of both.

She made a face. "We've passed eight doctors, but none of them were used as hostages. How much staff is there here? Surely they would have kept one or two just to get out of here as a bargaining chip. Just how different are Gotham's criminals compared to everywhere else?"

"Very," he replied bluntly, thinking over her words and turning back to the computer as a thought struck him. Diana leaned over his shoulder as he began to type, curious, but out of her league among the strange lines of letters and numbers. His voice low, he explained, "They should have done something with the hostages, like get them somewhere else farther from the exit but nearer to the fire."

"Because the police would go to save the hostages before going after the criminals," she finished. He nodded, fingers slowing on the keyboard, frowning at the screen. "So… what was the point of starting up a fire, rounding up the staff and putting most of them in the closest rooms, lock the gates to prevent anybody from leave, and stage a breakout where nobody can actually leave? Just a-"

"Distraction."

They both jumped to their feet as the surveillance monitors begin to light up, flickering to life one at a time and offering a view of the asylum slowly but surely. Diana gasped as one monitor in particular appeared, showing a large room reminiscent of an office used for group therapy and the pile of similarly dressed inmates laying unconscious on the floor.

Then, a red light in the corner flashed green and, off down the long driveway, the gate began to open.

Bruce's scowl returned.

Diana voiced the question first. "Did you turn them back on?"

There was no hesitation with his reply. "No."

* * *

The fire department went in first, trying to combat the growing flames while the police force entered the building from a safer, less on fire location, rescuing any hostages and apprehending the inmates as they began to stir.

"I expected something more to happen. I'm grateful it didn't, don't get me wrong on that, but it just feels wrong," Diana stated from a rooftop away from Arkham, ending their silent vigil over Gotham's police. Bruce turned to her, his cowl blocking her view of his face, but the annoyance clear from the curve of his lips.

"Agreed." He rubbed his chin, looking back towards the police cars blocking off the gates from the media and anybody in Arkham who may try to escape during the confusion. If they were smart, they wouldn't, not unless they wanted a one way ticket to the hospital considering Bruce's rapidly deteriorating mood. "The hostage situation was for the police, but this? This was for me."

"They didn't open the gates because they knew you would go inside," she decided quietly, pulling the fabric from her face, chewing on her lips. "If the gates were open, there was a chance that someone would have left and you would have went after them so they needed you to spend more than a few minutes in there. But for what? Surely we would have heard something by now, we were in there for..."

"About two hours," he said, glancing briefly at the time in the bottom corner of his interface. "And when we talk to Croc, we'll ask him."

"You think he's part of it?" She asked, frowning and absently rubbing her head.

He shrugged. Reluctantly, he went on to explain his reasoning at her obvious confusion. "He doesn't have the brains to pull this off himself and doesn't play well with others, but he was the only one loose and the only one we fought." They were interrupted from further discussion when the police below relaxed with the _all clear_ that came from their communications. Bruce decided then that it was time to leave, taking a step off the building before Diana could comment.

The batmobile was waiting, untouched, when they arrived and he climbed in, Diana jumping in the seat next to him carefully. They drove in silence for a while, Bruce's mind running constantly to figure out what the whole point of sending him to Arkham was when she broke the silence once more.

"So, how did I do?" Diana asked, looking more relaxed now that they were somewhere safe.

He looked over at her, shaken from his thoughts and confused, until the expectation on her face and the ringing of apprehension in her emotions explained it. This was the first time that Bruce had ever let her help with something to do with Gotham before that wasn't League business, he should have expected the question. "Fine," he said cryptically, more concerned about everything else than giving a report. Although he did file away useful tidbits to inform her of later.

Diana narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't really tell me much about what you think, you're generally a lot more blunt than this. Especially when it comes to Gotham," she pointed out suspiciously while Bruce tried to figure out what she was trying to do.

"Could have done worse, we didn't do much for you to be tested on."

"I fought off one of your.. what do they call it, Rogue Gallery?"

"I wasn't watching."

She laughed, he enjoyed the sound of it, relaxing a fraction. "That's a lie, I don't need your superpower to know that."

"My superpower?" He inquired, turning harshly down the street and picking up speed the further they got from the main part of the city towards the cave, pushing away the urge to begin a patrol and beat his frustration away on anybody unfortunate enough to cross him tonight. A punching bag would have to do tonight though, Diana wasn't ready to patrol a place like Gotham anytime soon, no matter how well she might have done tonight. He hadn't been lying, they hadn't done enough for him to tell _enough_.

She interrupted his thoughts with a light-hearted grin. "Your superpower is reading me."

"I could do that without superpowers," he replied gruffly.

"Yes, you could, but now everything is probably easier."

He wanted to tell her that it was the exact opposite of easier, that he found it a bit unnerving to know what she was feeling without knowing the thoughts behind it and even more so that, if he prodded hard enough, he _could_ figure out the thoughts behind it. Telepathy was an area that he would rather leave with J'onn, thank you very much. But he didn't say any of this, keeping silent as they pull into the secret entrance for the cave, the batmobile skidding to a halt in its rightful spot.

He jumped out, heading immediately for the computer while Diana stretched, yawning, reminding him of the hour. No doubt Tim woke up from his nap and went on patrol ages ago. Glancing at the clock, where it read little after two in the morning, Bruce guessed that he would be back in another hour or two.

The report was quick, but detailed everything starting with the call from Oracle to the police leaving the scene. When he turned back around in his seat a few minutes later, cowl and gloves setting beside him on the computer, he raised his brow at Diana still standing there in uniform. "Just drop the uniform off in the basket there, Alfred will wash it up and get it put away again," he told her, frowning.

"Right," she nodded absently, turning to leave, unable to mask the wince from her face when she stepped on the wrong foot, but hurried away before he could stop her.

While she disappeared to change, he went into a different room to shower and change, coming out again wearing comfort dark sweats and a plain t-shirt, preparing for her arrival and inevitable arguments. A few minutes later, she did, wearing the pajamas she had come in, but holding her fluffy slippers instead of wearing them. Diana raised her brow, unimpressed by his obvious ambush, clearly prepared for what he was going to say. "I'm fine, Bruce."

"Humor me. Or I call Alfred and let him do it," he warned when she opened her mouth to argue. Her jaw clicked closed, eyes narrowing at his threat while his lips twitched. Another person who found themselves at the mercy of Alfred's commands. He tried to soften the blow to her pride, clearing his throat. "Yes, you will heal in a few days max, but you just got out of the hospital, Diana."

 _Wrong words_ , he thought when she turned on her heel. Bruce prepared to grab her, to drag her over to get looked over, but she didn't go to the stairs as he expected, but back to the medical section they had left hours ago, hopping up on the empty table with her arms crossed childishly. He nearly laughed, but she still looked annoyed so he didn't, instead he took her ankle gently, seeing instantly why she wasn't wearing her slippers.

"Why didn't you say anything? We would have bandaged it up sooner," he demanded, letting it go to grab disinfectant and bandages. Though her shower had cleaned her ankle of blood, it did nothing to hide the three ugly gashes from where his talons dug into flesh or the dark, hand-shaped bruises beneath it. Anybody else might have broken bones, though he couldn't rule out that she hadn't.

She shrugged. "Wasn't an issue. It'll be fine in two days."

"Still, the pain mustn't have been fun," he pointed out, scowling as he dabbed at the wounds, raising his brow triumphantly when she winced, but did rule out a break or sprain when she didn't exhibit any other reactions. The fact that it wasn't swollen helped.

Diana snorted. "Look whose talking, weren't you the one who got poisoned by Copperhead and got right back into business a few hours later?"

His scowl deepened.

She continued, frustration flooding his head from her. "I'm not helpless, you know. I could have handled with it or do you think Circe's spell has made me fragile?"

"Nothing to do with that," he grumbled, beginning to wrap her foot gently. He said wearily, "I just don't like seeing you hurt."

Diana froze in place and while this made it even easier to finish up, he cursed his sudden honesty. He blamed it on her, not only was she difficult to lie to, but he didn't _want_ to lie to her. She fidgeted. He realized he was holding her ankle still and released it, letting her pull it back.

"I..." She started, looking down at her lap.

"You don't have to respond," he interrupted truthfully, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have said that. But, for what you said, I don't think that Circe's spell did anything like that to you. She can't change who you are and you've never been fragile like that."

She smiled, small, but grateful. "Thank you. I knew that, of course. But I wasn't sure if you remembered that. You can't keep me out of this, Bruce, it isn't like last time." At his confusion, Diana explained further, flicking hair out of her face and wincing. "I'm not a pig, you don't have to take care of me, I want to help figure this out."

"I thought you were?"

"Offering up blood and waiting for you to figure something out isn't really what I had in mind," she said dryly, beginning to climb down when he put his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stay seated. Bruce walked behind her, ignoring her confusion and surprise while he lifted his hands to her head, carefully feeling around on her head until his fingers found the bump beneath the silky hair. She winced again and he pulled back slowly on the pretext of examining it more. When he realized it was more to continue feeling her hair for however briefly, he stepped away completely.

"You hit your head pretty hard with that one attack, I thought for sure you would have went through the wall," he admitted.

She smiled. "I might have tried to push back to prevent that, but there's probably a human shaped dent in the wall still. But don't change the subject," she chided, sighing. "I think we should send somebody to Themyscira to speak with my mother, she's faced Circe before, she might have some idea of what this is."

"We'll have a problem with that, starting with the fact that she'll probably just butcher me for being involved," Bruce said dubiously.

"She won't do that," she said, offended, but amended her idea anyway. "I think we can change the story a little bit, I doubt it matters on the who, we could say it was me and Shayera or something. The answer shouldn't change anything. We should also see how far this goes, I noticed when I was fighting Croc that our fight went quite a bit farther away from you and I didn't real feel anything. Nothing to do with our spell, at least, so maybe it's fading?" He sensed her reluctance to accept that as a solution, but the hope that it would be that simple and he realized with a guilty pang that her routine was changed by this too.

He sighed, knowing he would have to crush her hope. "If it was fading, I wouldn't be feeling your emotions still. It's definitely not fading on my end." Before, her emotions were a light trickle, something that Bruce could push aside with ease, and when he was next to her, it was like she cut them off before they made it to him. Now, there seemed to be a constant strum of Diana's emotions in his thoughts, bringing a million potential consequences that Bruce didn't want to think about but knew that he must.

"Well, we should still test it out," Diana said, deflating at the knowledge, but stubbornly continuing on. "There's nothing else we can do unless you've found an answer already that you've just neglected to say?"

He shook his head negatively.

She nodded. "Well, then, we have other options to look into."

"I didn't agree, you know," he pointed out.

Diana laughed, sounding quite a few degrees lighter than before. "Doesn't matter, I could just call and have somebody go to Themyscira, you're not the only one with allies. And the rest would't be hard to do without you."

"Just painful and potentially dangerous."

"When has that ever stopped either of us?"

"Good point." He felt himself grin back, small and maybe uncomfortable, when she turned a megawatt smile on him and he held out his hand to help her down. On her feet again, her fluffy slippers dangling from her free hand, Bruce didn't immediately relinquish her fingers, enjoying the contact for a moment, deciding to blame it on the lack of sleep, on the memory of their tension from earlier that day. It felt like days ago now, a side effect of being in Arkham for even a few minutes, but it came roaring back to mind when her thumb began to stroke over his knuckles.

He let her hand go, a question from earlier rising up as the perfect solution to the sudden awkward silence. "How come you grabbed the batarang?"

She looked away briefly and returned to explain, too calmly to be realistic, "I thought if he saw it, he would assume that's where the extra strength in my hit came from, that's all."

He didn't believe that for a second, but when she blushed, he figured it would be best to leave it at that. "Smart idea."

"I thought so too. I think I'll head up now, don't stay up too late," she ordered, knowing that he wouldn't obey it and would likely be up until Tim returned from patrol. "Goodnight, Bruce."

"Goodnight, Princess."

He waited for her to leave, his grin dropping away once she was gone and Bruce headed towards the computer, knowing that whatever was happening in Gotham today wasn't going to wait for them to break the spell. He needed answers, but when Tim arrived little over two hours later, he hadn't found much of anything to explain it.

"Bruce?" Tim asked carefully, stepping up behind him cautiously, recognizing the stony expression on his mentor's face.

"How was patrol?" He asked softly, making Tim wince. "What?"

"Whoever told you about the ding in the batcycle is a liar and has an ugly mullet," he informed him. "That's what you're mad about, right?"

Bruce rolled his eyes. This was news to him, but he would make Tim suffer for it later. "No. Anything unusual on patrol?"

Tim tilted his head, thinking over the evening quickly, but shook his head. "Aside from the increase of robberies, muggings, and attempted rapes than most nights, there wasn't anything different than most nights aside from Arkham. What happened there, by the way? I heard that there was an attempted breakout that failed because nobody actually got out. Which is a first."

Because he didn't have an answer and didn't feel like explaining everything that had happened tonight, Bruce changed the subject. "Get showered up, if your grade drops then I've got to revoke patrols," he ordered, getting up from the computer. With Tim's words, he knew there was nothing more he would gain from tonight, at least not until after Tim updated the logs and he could go through everything that happened on his patrol for _something_ that Tim hadn't noticed. But he couldn't do that without a large cup of coffee, or two, and less of an annoying headache.

Speaking of which, he stopped Tim before he could leave, raising a brow. "Did you send someone to the fountain yesterday?"

"Yeah, they were looking around the manor, I'm surprised that Alfred let her just walk around without trying to send her out," he admitted, confused. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Bruce said. No wonder Diana had been annoyed when he found her earlier, especially if Tim treated her anything like _Bruce_ did with the people he dropped off at the fountain and he almost laughed at the thought of what Diana would do in response to this unintended slight. "Thanks for that, but I hope she doesn't remember your face or see you anytime soon, she _might_ hold a grudge."

"Are you inviting her over again?" He asked, astonished. "I mean, she was a stunner and she actually seemed interested in the history mumbo-jumbo talk that I made up, but she looks like trouble. Frankly, I didn't think you needed to uphold the image much after that situation at Veronica-"

He interrupted quickly, not wanting to relive it. "I might if it turns out that you actually did get a ding in the batcycle. Why'd you bring up Dick's mullet anyway?"

"It's an ugly mullet that furthers any argument against him," Tim admitted.

"Right," he said dryly. "Something tells me that wouldn't hold up in a court of law."

Tim shrugged apathetically. "Doesn't need to hold up in court, just against you or whoever I want to be mad at Dick."

Bruce shook his head, deciding that his conversation with Tim had done enough to diffuse him that he could _probably_ get a few hours of sleep instead of spending an extra hour beating up a punching bag.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait! Real life caught up for a moment (between refereeing fighting in the family and making sure I'm eligible to graduate, I've had little motivation to actually write that doesn't end with wanting to bash my face into a wall). Bit of a time jump here, but questions are answered and the chapter is longer to make up for the wait!

 **Disclaimer:** No villains or heroes were harmed in the making of this chapter. I don't own any of said heroes or villains either!

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

The storm grew stronger in the next few of days, seemingly unstoppable and angry with its rage, the thunder and lightning never far behind the gusts of wind and constant barrage of rain. On the outside, the storm seemed to cast gloomy shadows across the manor, giving the aura of something sinister and haunted occurring inside.

That was close to what happened inside on a regular basis if people knew that Batman lived there, but that wasn't the case that day (or any day if it was up to the kindly, but stern butler inside). In fact, the four occupants inside were actually in the middle of their mid-morning routine. Alfred prepared food while Tim lounged in his pajamas watching television in the living room and Bruce stood in his study, staring at the painting of his parents with sharp, intelligent eyes.

Their guest, Diana, just watched him, sitting on the sofa with her hands folded across an unread book as she waited for him to finish his brooding. It was a common occurrence with him and even more so since Diana had started to stay with him, and the unreasonable part of her thought it was because he knew her revelation and could tell what she planned to do with the knowledge. More likely, the rational part of her knew, he was trying to wrap his head around the events at Arkham three days prior and everything that had happened since.

That is to say, since Arkham, things in Gotham had been growing very, _very_ quiet. The criminals might have felt the need to spare themselves of Batman's wrath considering his foul mood, but they couldn't possibly know about it since nobody had heard from Batman since then. Maybe they thought he was dead, but Robin had quickly proven that he had the same fierceness and determination that his mentor possessed, managing to prove that even without Batman on the street, there would _always_ be somebody in the batclan to handle scum. So it wasn't that.

Something was brewing in Gotham, but Diana couldn't detect what it was and Bruce hadn't revealed anything. She imagined he wouldn't until he was certain, but there was the chance that he wouldn't at all. The thought annoyed her a great deal, but she could understand his hesitance given the person this event seemed to revolve around: The Joker.

Joker was a lot more clever than usual and a lot more secretive about whatever plot he had in mind; nobody had even known the key was missing until the curator at the museum went to show it off to businessman and ally, Lucius Fox, who confessed to a feigned interest in history at the request of Bruce Wayne. In its place was another identical key, but one that happened to be completely fake the museum realized when they took a closer look. Joker was their first suspect, but considering the unusual way the theft had taken place, they ruled him out and placed the blame on the next likely suspect: Catwoman.

Nevermind the fact that she was turning a new leaf by protecting the East End and couldn't be suspected of turning to thievery for another few weeks. She also didn't have the specific skills needed for the mess at Arkham. Diana was aghast to hear he hadn't even tried to prove Catwoman's innocence, but relented from unleashing a legendary flow of stern words involving supporting allies, especially rehabilitating ones, when he pointed out that proving the Joker did it would prove her innocence just fine.

"It just doesn't fit," Bruce muttered under his breath as Diana finally set the book aside, knowing she wouldn't get anything from it today. She didn't know much about the Joker, but she agreed with him, everything she read had shown his flair for the dramatics in most of his schemes that wasn't evident here. Using Arkham as a distraction to steal a key, but not leaving any sign that he did either of them? No, that didn't fit him, the only evidence they had that Joker was involved at all was the card he left as a warning _before_ he stole the key while a clever loop in the security videos prevented them from seeing when or how he got it.

Even the why didn't make sense. No matter how long Bruce and Diana debated over the key, they couldn't figure out what he could use it for, he certainly didn't know about where they key would lead. It was otherwise just a fancy, ancient relic worth a lot of money, but still one of the cheapest things to steal from the museum.

She waited for Bruce to go on, but that was a foolish hope. His little slip was the only one she should expect him to make by himself and it would require patience for him to say anything else.

Patience she didn't have. "Bruce," she said sharply when he made no move to speak further.

He blinked, his thoughts fading behind his dark, unreadable eyes as he turned around to face her, the angles of his face bathed in shadows. She shifted to get rid of the unnerving effect. "Zatanna should be stopping by the watchtower before the founders meeting today, we'll be able to get her report and Shayera's before the day is up, one of them is bound to have found something we can use."

"Or they might have nothing and we're back to circle one."

"Square one," he corrected automatically.

"You know what I meant. What do you propose we do then?" She raised her brows, obviously knowing what they would do next but waiting for him to say it.

He seemed to recognize this because he paused thoughtfully, taking his sweet time in admitting that her plan had some merits to it. At least it involved doing something rather than nothing like they were now. "Then we push it," he said reluctantly.

Diana leaned back on the couch, adjusting her legs beneath her with a smug smile. "What are you worrying about? It won't hurt to test it, maybe this just needs to be stretched until it becomes bearable."

"It doesn't fully disappear though," he pointed out, coming to sit beside her on the couch with a weary sigh. She could see the dark smudged beneath his eyes, more prominent than his normal ones, and resisted asking about it. Instead, she moved to face him, leaning her elbow on the couch cushion as support.

"It might," she guessed. "But if we can get it to go farther without causing horrific pain then we might be able to get our lives back to normal."

He turned to look at her critically, but just when she was going to ask if there was something stuck to her face, it faded, leaving behind amusement. "Company that unbearable, Princess?"

"You brood too much, your son doesn't like me, and I won't fit into my uniform if I have anymore of Alfred's food," she teased, watching his lips curl into a grin and deciding that it was her favorite feature. A rare treat too, but as she thought back over the past few days, she realized that once they settled into a rhythm it was actually more often than she thought. She supposed that was the difference between seeing Bruce here, at his home, than anywhere else they usually met.

He ignored the comment about his brooding, probably because he couldn't argue against the truth, and focused on the second part. "I heard about that, I was wondering about that look but forgot to ask." Bruce cleared his throat, seeming to realize they were shifting closer together and pulling away some, reminded of the almost kiss in the hallway.

She didn't object, but sighed internally. "Did he learn that trick from you?"

"Maybe," he admitted, watching her reaction warily. "I don't think he realized who you are. I take it you've been avoiding him the past couple of days?"

Diana shifted guiltily, not admitting that her plan of revenge wasn't quite working out, meaning she couldn't fathom where to begin. "Maybe," she allowed innocently. "But why do you think so?"

He nodded, amused. "He hasn't been complaining about how he missed something so obvious and when he knows, he will."

She cocked her head. "Am I that obviously Wonder Woman even when not dressed as such?" Her armor hadn't been worn in days, she wasn't even sure if she would fit into it after all the delicious meals that Alfred had cooked for them. "I thought you told him about the situation, why else would he be covering for Batman's patrol?"

"Yes. I'm not surprised though, you put so much of yourself into Wonder Woman that most of it has nothing to do with the armor. And I didn't tell him the full details, just that I would be occupied."

Her mouth opened and then closed several times before she formulated a response. "What do you mean?"

"That blazing look you get when you're passionate about something," he explained, correctly assuming she wasn't asking what he would be occupied with and grateful that he wouldn't have to explain what his son would assume. "It's often on Wonder Woman's face, but if someone else were to wear the costume, they wouldn't have it. Nobody else has been Wonder Woman though so we all attribute it to you."

"My blazing look, huh?" She laughed and he shrugged. "You keep talking like I'm not Wonder Woman."

"I don't think you're Wonder Woman right now- Stop glaring, I'm not done- When you're not doing your job, you're just Diana and right now, you're just Diana. You've still got that blazing look though; people recognize that and connect it to Wonder Woman because that's all they've known her to be. It doesn't help that you're…" Bruce paused, thinking of the least suggestive way of explaining his thoughts. "Well, you could stick out in a crowd of people even if everyone was wearing the same thing."

He must have remembered her argument in the cave about the just Bruce if he was going to start using her own words against her. There was a difference between Batman and Wonder Woman though when it came to the person beneath the cowl and armor; Diana could say that beneath the cowl was Bruce. Beneath the armor, she was Diana, but when she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana too. Recognizing that this would only succeed in giving her a headache, she thought about the rest of his words, brushing hair out of her face to hide the redness to her cheeks.

"You know a lot about this look I have," she pointed out quietly and his fingers twitched across the back of the couch.

"I know your expressions," he replied as equally low, brow furrowing as though he had come across a difficult puzzle. He didn't look at her straight on, but she could feel every time he would flicker between her and the coffee table in front of him.

"But you're just distracting me from what we were originally talking about and I don't appreciate it. Why are you afraid to test it?" Diana wished they had a name for whatever _it_ was.

He stared at her for a long moment and when he spoke, his voice was lower than she had ever heard it. She shifted closer to him just to hear better, frowning intently. "Maybe I just don't think we should mess with magic, it always comes at a price."

"I don't think there's a price they can make us pay that hasn't been given already, Bruce," she sighed, resting her hand on his and squeezing it gently. Focused more on her words, he didn't notice his fingers curling around hers in response, but her poor, stuttering heart did. "They basically scooped a piece of me, dumped it on you, and then made it a mess whenever we're apart. I don't see what they can do to us except glue our hands together."

Suspicion flickered in his eyes, his brows drawing together. "You're taking this a lot better than you were the first day if you can make jokes about it."

"I can start throwing a fit if you'd like?" She took a slow, lingering look around the room at the things that she could easily smash in a fit of rage which meant everything.

He still looked suspicious, but amused despite it at her offer. "No."

"Thought so. But, if you want honesty... I'm mad that I didn't dodge the spell, I'm mad that you're making it difficult for me to do more to fix it, I'm mad that I'm holding you back from your mission, and I'm mad that I'm being held back from mine." She paused to listen for some movement from him, a change in his heartbeat or for the hue of his eyes to change, but found nothing to happen except patience. "But I know that those can be fixed for the most part and I'm _trying_ to see the bright side in this."

"And what's the bright side?"

Her hand jerked in his, but she didn't pull away, wondering how to reply to that honestly without revealing a rather big reason. He wouldn't want to hear what she discovered about herself, about them, and she didn't know if she was ready for him to trample this rediscovered feeling. Soon, of course, because Diana wanted to offer an olive branch for the final time before she threw in the towel and nursed her scars. For now though, it was too soon.

So how to explain the bright side of this situation? She settled on a partial truth, tilting her head to look up at him with something of a smile. His returning smile was hesitant and curious. "I can train to dodge more, I'm getting you to work with me here however slowly it may be, and if your missions requires you then I will help you."

"What about your mission? I'm surprised you haven't tried to do work for the Embassy from here."

"I trust Etta is handling everything she can. The hardest part was rescheduling all my meetings and backing out of events that I can't find a suitable replacement; if this lasts another three days, Donna will be stepping in for me, as Ambassador and Wonder Woman if needed." She made a vague gesture with her hands as if to say _what can you do_ and smiled at his surprise. "What? You think you're the only person to have contingencies?"

"No, more surprised that you'd step aside," he admitted. "That's not like you."

Her smile faded. "I don't do it lightly, but I've had a chance to think about it and I'll do whatever my duty requires of me; be it standing up _or_ standing down. I'm just hoping it doesn't come to that," she added, facing forward on the couch again so they were shoulder to shoulder. She realized then that he had, once again, escaped from explaining his worry and scowled. She murmured under her breath, "We're getting answers today or else though."

Bruce looked at her. "What was that, Princess?"

"Just a promise," she said louder. They sat in comfortable silence until she felt Bruce starting to move away, his face taking on the look he normally did when he got lost in dark thoughts, no doubt thinking over her words, and because she didn't feel like trying to wrestle him out of it in a few minutes, she interrupted before it could fully begin. "Hand me that book, will you?"

He grabbed the book, handing it over to her absently. "I can't disobey royalty."

She replied dryly, the book resting in her lap. "That's never stopped you before."

He blinked and looked around the room, staring hard at the doorway as though expecting somebody to appear, but when none did, he finally responded with a simple, "True, but that's when Alfred isn't there to see."

She laughed, nudging him. "The dirty truth is out: the Dark Knight is afraid of his butler. The secret to his defeat is finally out in the open."

"No, but Bruce Wayne is," Bruce corrected. "Batman isn't afraid of anything."

"How thrilling to know, Master Bruce, that I can put fear in the man behind the mask," said the aging butler as he entered the room with a small plate of food on it, his countenance not revealing a thing as he set it down on the small table. Bruce didn't jump, but he did make a face. "Shall the two of you be here for dinner or shall Master Tim be dining alone again?"

Bruce frowned at her. "Haven't you been eating?"

"I've been eating, just generally not with Tim; either he's busy with something or I'm busy with something," she told him sincerely. Alfred nodded supportively, hands folded behind his back patiently for their reply. Diana ripped her gaze from Bruce, giving the man a fond smile. "I've been uncourteous, forgive me. Thank you for understanding my awkward schedule."

He smiled back, bowing his head. "You're very welcome, Miss. Diana. It's no trouble, Master Bruce has a rather strange schedule as is, I believe it comes with the territory and Master Tim is slowly starting to follow in his footsteps."

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck when they both looked at him. "Sorry?" He cleared his throat while Diana laughed. "We'll be back for dinner unless an emergency comes up, I imagine the Princess would like to meet Tim finally."

She wanted to say otherwise, because she still hadn't come up with a suitable plan, but merely nodded, reminding herself to pull aside Wally or Shayera. One of them would come up with a suitable plan for her to use. "Yes, we'll be there, things have been slow on the Watchtower according to Shayera, we shouldn't be in the meeting long." _Unless Kal drones on_. Bruce smirked, obviously knowing the unmentioned thought and leaving her to guess whether he knew from _it_ or her expression.

"Very well, I shall make sure it is worth it. Have a good day, Miss. Diana, Master Bruce," he nodded his head and retreated from the room again, not giving her the chance to point out that his food would _always_ be worth it. _He rivals some of my Amazonian sisters with his culinary skills_ , she thought, picking up a grape and plopping it into her mouth.

"Do you have anything to do before we leave?" She asked after chewing.

"Some paperwork for Wayne Enterprises," he replied absently, waving off a piece of cantaloupe that she offered to him. "No, thank you. And then to look over Robin's log." Again. She lost track after the sixth time he looked it over and didn't bother to smother the skepticism that rose up, knowing that he would feel it anyway. He made a face to confirm her thoughts. "I didn't check last nights as thoroughly, there might be something there. If not, I'll move on to something else."

"Eat something," she ordered in her best royal princess voice when he didn't grab anything. "And don't you think taking a break will help you figure it out?"

"No." He remained stubbornly still beside her. She picked up a sandwich, holding it out for him to take, but when he continued to stare dispassionately at it, she forced it into his hand. He took it just to keep her from squishing it. "Diana-"

She huffed. "It's just a sandwich, Bruce. You didn't eat much yesterday, you need to eat something today, especially considering how much we have to do." Diana picked up another piece of fruit to eat, watching him carefully and allowing the threat of force feeding to play across her face.

A heartbeat later, Bruce took a bite, glaring at her. She smiled back.

* * *

Diana entered the room first, knowing that Bruce would be right behind her without looking over her shoulder once since they were teleported onto the Watchtower. One benefit of the situation was the ache helped her tell when he was nearby, he wouldn't be able to sneak up on her as easily when she always felt a sense of relief when he stepped near her; it didn't stop him from trying though. _He must find it annoying, not being able to sneak up on someone,_ she thought, waiting for Bruce to shut off the security before turning to face the standing witch.

"Hi Zatanna," she smiled, grateful that when the witch greeted both of them that she didn't feel the flair of jealousy in her stomach this time. The self reprimand from days earlier had worked, thankfully.

"You both look better than I expected," Zatanna mused, sinking into a seat and taking off her top hat.

Bruce didn't reply, but Diana did, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I expected you guys to beat each other up at some point or another," she chuckled.

"Other than sparring, not really," Diana replied. Then, with a mischievous grin, she added, "Although there were times when I felt like it, but that would be rude, wouldn't it?"

Zatanna clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Not if he deserved it, in my opinion. And knowing him, there were plenty of times that he did. He's a bit grumpy, isn't he?"

"Definitely-"

Bruce cut in before they could gain speed, glaring at the light in their eyes when they turned to look at him. "We have a lot to do today, remember?" He stared significantly at her, the whites of his cowl boring into her eyes. She cleared her throat, nodding, knowing that he was right. It was time for them to get serious, they were hopefully going to get answers, maybe even a way to fix it.

"What did you learn, Zatanna?"

The witch pouted, wanting to talk more with the princess, but relented at his impatience. "We'll talk more later," she promised Diana, before turning serious, the grin dropping from her face. "I called in all types of favors and looked just about everywhere for information on this. There wasn't a lot, mind you, but they did give me this," Zatanna paused, gathering herself. "It's bad news."

Diana blinked when the witch didn't go on. "What's the bad news?"

"No, I mean, all my contacts said the spell was bad news. Very dark magic, very old magic," Zatanna said, frowning. "From what they told me about the spell, I'm actually surprised you aren't dead."

Bruce stiffened beside her, she could practically hear his jaw tightening, but Diana didn't turn to look at him, frozen in place. Dead? She imagined that Circe was capable of quite a few things in her quest for revenge against Diana's mother, but she didn't think the goddess would go that far. For Hera's sake, last time they met, she turned Diana into a pig! People didn't go from humiliating someone to trying to kill them.

She shook her head quickly, dark hair bouncing from the sudden movement and she impatiently brushed the strands away, drawing both their gazes to her. "What did they say it did?"

"They couldn't tell me much more than that, nobody has used a spell like that in centuries apparently," Zatanna replied apologetically, bowing her head. "The only thing they could tell me was that the person on the opposite end is lucky to have their soul. I did ask if there was a way to fix it and didn't get anywhere with that, so I tried something else. I asked if anyone had seen Circe." Here, she stopped again, watching them.

Diana didn't particularly feel patient though. "Do they know where Circe is? It doesn't matter if they don't know how to break the spell if we can just find her and get the answer from her."

"How do you propose doing that?" Bruce asked seriously. "We haven't exactly won any of the times we've faced her."

She waved it off dismissively. "We'll figure something out, we need to find her first." Then, because the curtness of her words wasn't normally like her, she swiveled in her chair to face him, noting the tension in the exposed portion of his face. Diana placed her hand over the clenched fist in his lap gently, trying to comfort. "We'll be careful, she won't get us again."

They stared at the other, silently communicating and Zatanna twitched in her seat, making a movement as though to leave and come back in a few minutes, when Diana pulled away. Bruce resumed looking stoic, waiting for her to continue.

Zatanna tried not to smile, but ultimately failed, a snort escaping her. Diana stared at her, imitating the blank, imposing look that Bruce managed to use against other people. Somehow, it actually worked as Zatanna cleared her throat. "She's been quiet, they haven't seen her anywhere in a while, which means she's lying low."

"You think she's up to something?" asked Bruce seriously.

She nodded. "I get that feeling, there was a lot of stirring in the magical community since she's disappeared."

"What could she be up to though? Her main motive lately has been going after my mother through me, but she must think I'm dead now," Diana thought aloud.

Bruce twitched at the word, but managed to hide the response rather well if Diana hadn't been watching him. He covered it by asking, "Why do you think that?"

Diana sighed, leaning on her elbows. "Well, she wouldn't have just fled if she thought she failed. She would have tried again using some other method or exchanged information for something from one of you guys in an attempt to further humiliate you all."

"And she didn't," Bruce said, ignoring the laugh from Zatanna at the reminder of what Bruce did to save Diana from Circe last time. "She must think she succeeded, especially since nobody has seen you in a couple of days."

"She might think the League is covering it up, people would freak out if they found out you were dead," Zatanna pointed out seriously, her laughter gone and replaced with a frown. They all made a face at the thought of the response from the Amazons and the UN; even if they all knew it came with the territory, they would all be mad if the League kept it from them.

"Good thing I'm not then, I think I'll have to make an appearance soon enough though, maybe that will spook her into trying again?" Diana didn't enjoy the thought of that, she wanted to find out where the witch was and pummel her, not wait for Circe to make a plan and come after them.

Bruce must have agreed with her thoughts because he shook his head. "No, we do that, she might be spooked into putting her plan into motion and we can't take that chance. We need to know more about what she's planning."

"Zatanna, do you have an idea?" Diana asked reluctantly, arms crossed.

"Not a clue."

"Great."

For nearly thirty minutes, the three discussed possible plans for a witch of Circe's caliber and the potential repercussions. Without any concrete proof on what she could be heading towards though, whether it be further revenge against Hippolyta or an entirely different but equally diabolic plan, they didn't figure out much.

Optimistically, Diana realized that they knew more than before, but the larger part of her knew it wasn't _enough_. They still didn't have a name for it and they didn't know what would happen, whether it would fade in a few more days or get steadily stronger until they were both attached at the hip, and that thought was enough to lower Diana's mood significantly.

Another part was that since they left the room, Zatanna's promise of looking in a few more places echoing in her ears, Bruce hadn't said a single word. This wasn't unusual, they had spent hours together without saying a single word, able to communicate easily without it, but Diana could feel the tension from him and couldn't possibly pretend this was normal. But, of course, they were already late for the meeting without pausing to confront the issue and Diana would have to let it go. For now.

The hallways were miraculously deserted once more, nobody pausing to stop them along the way and ask where either had been (or her, since not seeing Batman was generally a common occurrence on the Watchtower). Only her boots made much noise, clicking against the metal floor with every step, while Bruce walked beside her like a silent shadow. _Maybe that should have been his name, it would have been fitting,_ she thought. Diana laughed quietly.

For a moment, he tilted his head towards her, but despite the way his lips twitched with curiosity, his footsteps didn't falter at all. This didn't surprise her; very little surprised the dark knight, the silent shadow. Her laughter grew louder. "What?"

"Just wondering why silent shadow didn't become a name for you considering your ability to blend into them and the ability to not communicate with someone for hours without flinching," she answered with a small grin, grateful to find something else to talk about than what Zatanna had told them. Maybe it wasn't professional or particularly smart given the possibility of them running against a clock, but Diana wanted to forget her stirred up fears, just until they reached the room.

She forgot that he could sense her emotions until his footsteps paused briefly. So fleetingly that she might have sooner guessed he nearly tripped if it wasn't _Bruce_ , but there was no mistaking it when his mouth moved, as though to speak, and then closed once more. She waited for him to gather himself, trying to dampen her emotions, something she had been practicing the last few days in an effort to lighten the burden on him. She wasn't sure if it worked either considering he nearly paused again, but by then the doors were sliding open and the moment was lost, fading as rapidly as her mirth.

The other founders were already there, leaving Bruce and Diana to take their seats beside Superman, who was looking over a few pieces of paper on the table in front him. He offered a bright smile when they sat down and stood up, waiting for the conversation between the others to settle down before starting.

"Welcome back, Wonder Woman and Batman," he said with a bright smile.

"Thank you, but I don't think we're in the clear yet," Diana replied, trying to return the enthusiasm.

"No, but it's nice to see you guys. You look better than I thought."

This time, Diana could manage a laugh. "Let me guess, you expected us more beaten up?"

"No…" Everyone at the table gave him dubious looks and he smiled sheepishly. "Okay, maybe a little. None of us have forgotten how legendary your arguments can get, especially considering the last one."

The entire table went silent, sans Diana who turned red and Bruce who didn't say anything, as they remembered the last disagreement between Diana and Bruce that resulted in a rather violent sparring session in the training rooms, frightening quite a few rookies. It happened weeks ago and still people talked about it, fleeing whenever the two approached depending on Diana's expression. Smiling kindly? Everything is fine. Frowning? Not good. Smiling evilly? Run.

"I don't just fling him into a wall whenever I'm outraged," Diana defended, glaring.

Wally piped in between laughing, "We know; otherwise there would be a lot of bat shaped holes around here. Personally, I think Bats likes riling you up; you live very dangerously, Bats, but whatever gets- Oh, hey, coffee, that's nice," he said, changing the subject and zipping across the room to grab a cup when Bruce glared at him.

"Really putting your foot in your mouth again, Flash," John commented dryly, rolling his eyes at his friend's cheeky grin.

"Let's get to business," Superman said, trying not to laugh as Bruce continued to stare at Wally until the grin fell from their mutual friend's face. And so they began the normal meeting, going over possible improvements to the Watchtower, the next person in charge of the monitor duty roster, and the ongoing struggle to prove to the public that they weren't going mad with power.

She only tuned back in again when Superman stopped speaking, realizing that it was time to get answers from Shayera. While she would have preferred privacy to talk more, given the fact that Shayera would probably report news similar to Zatanna, she knew that her friends needed to hear this. It could become a League matter, yes, but, more importantly, Diana wanted their support.

"Go ahead, Shayera, the floor is yours," said Superman optimistically.

Shayera straightened in her seat, but the playfulness had faded from her face with alarming speed as she began to formulate words. Diana felt her stomach clench with fear and she fought to remain impassive. "Your people send their regards and well-wishes for a speedy recovery," She said, directing her words to Diana. "I talked with your mother privately about it, she knew something was wrong before I even got there. Something about a fire dwindling?"

"The fire in Hestia's temple," Diana murmured, but didn't elaborate.

"Something like that, she didn't get into the details. I explained to her, with all the details you guys gave me, what happened and she was not pleased, let me tell you. I think she had half the thought to execute me just as being the messenger. But then she went to someone's temple for their guidance, Athena, I believe." Shayera rested her elbows on the table, frowning. "When she returned, she had everyone leave the room and told me that the spell was something Circe tried to use against her in battle once before. According to her, the spell isn't meant to cause harm to the person's body."

Diana frowned, wondering how Zatanna's findings and her mother's could differ on the same spell. A rather distinct spell too, it couldn't have been a mix-up on either end. "It doesn't harm the body? That doesn't make sense."

"Maybe it does," Bruce muttered, his chin resting in his hands. She wished he would elaborate, but he stayed quiet. "What did she say?"

"The spell is meant to fling the soul out of the body for a while, giving the other person time to kill the body so that the soul is forced to move onto the afterlife when they can't reunite," Shayera continued. "She guesses that Circe getting interrupted messed up the spell enough that she didn't get the full effect, but because you got hit and are having issues that something did happen. Whatever it is, it has to do with your soul which is why they couldn't find anything wrong with you medically."

"So the spell was meant to rip my soul out, but why didn't she come and attack my body? It sounds like the soul and the body would reunite on their own and that meant her spell did nothing," Diana pointed out, hands curling into a fist by her side.

"She said that the Goddess offered an answer for that one. You were made from clay and when your soul leaves, you would return to clay once more. Circe must have known that and assumed that the soul wouldn't be able to go back without help."

Wally made a face, turning to face Diana seriously. Everyone else looked at him, wondering if he was about to show a measure of his intelligence. "Wait, you were made from clay? That explains why you're so hot, there's no way somebody from normal means can look like you! That's cheating!"

While Bruce looked as though he wanted to throw a batarang at the speedster's forehead, Diana laughed, echoed by Shayera, and Wally smirked triumphantly around the table, seeing the amusement on (nearly) everyone's face to drown out the dread.

Diana leaned across the table to clasp his hand. "Thank you, Wally, I needed that."

"I'm just pointing it out," he said with mock modesty.

"Well, anyway," said Shayera as Diana retracted her hand. "So that's basically it. Oh, she said that she isn't sure about the whole unable to separate issue, but she said pushing it would probably snap it back to normal; I just don't know if she said that because she suspects Diana is attached to a man or not."

"She probably does, I would have just brought a woman with me to Themyscira and she knows that," she admitted.

"So where do we go from here?" John asked. "Have the effects diminished at all?"

"No, they haven't, even Bruce is having issues now." She paused when she felt Bruce shift beside her. Probably didn't want people to know about that, but she wasn't going to give him a choice. She nudged him with her foot and said loudly. "Right, Batman?"

"What issue are you having?" asked Wally, confused. "I thought Di was the one having a problem."

"I can feel her emotions," Bruce said before she could jab him again. "And, if I concentrated enough but less so now, her thoughts too."

"You're developing person specific telepathy. J'onn is going to have some competition, huh big guy?" Wally joked to the silent martian.

"I have a theory," J'onn said, ignoring Wally's remark and his subsequent pout. "When I scanned Batman a few days ago, I did find something inside his head that wasn't him and, when prodded, revealed more of Diana's thought than his own. Perhaps this is a piece of Diana."

"I'm not following," Diana said slowly, echoed by the rest of the table except the silent and thoughtful Bruce.

"If the spell was meant to… rip out your soul then perhaps that is what the spell did, but her lapse in concentration had a less detrimental effect and only chipped off a piece. Unable to immediately go back to you, but unable to survive as only a piece of the soul and not the full thing, it would attach to the nearest person with the closest bond to you," J'onn explained. "This would explain how Batman is feeling emotions and thoughts while Diana feels pain when he is not near. Her soul is trying to put itself back together and can't handle being away from the other piece."

"What makes you think this, J'onn?" Bruce asked, not ready to agree or disagree with his theory. Diana just rubbed her temple.

"Normal telepathy, even towards a specific person, doesn't grant empathy to such an extent. I can't speak for any metahuman telepathy, but Martian telepathy is that way and I believe that it would be similar. Knowing that and hearing the spells intention, I deduced from there that it was a possibility," J'onn replied.

"It would explain it and it's the most likely theory, but we've still got a problem from there: how do we fix it?" Bruce questioned, not expecting an answer from any of them. He was therefore surprised when he got two of them:

"We could kill you, resuscitate you, and see if that works."

"We could push it."

Shayera and Diana shared a surprised look at their respective answers while the rest of the table processed them. Bruce didn't look overly concerned about Shayera's suggestion and, even more frightening to Diana, he actually seemed to consider it as an option.

She put her foot down there. "No, we aren't going to kill him," she said sternly. "That's a terrible risk that I won't allow."

"Agreed," said Superman, echoed by Wally and J'onn while the other half of the table still considered it. Seeing this, Superman continued, "We'll keep that solution in mind, but I think we should find another option that doesn't risk anyone's life."

"Maybe it will fade with distance. We-"

"Distances puts you in excruciating pain," Bruce pointed out.

Diana continued firmly as though he hadn't spoken. "-can look at how far it goes before becoming unbearable and then push that further. The only way we've seen it act so far is between the Watchtower and Earth and that's quite a distance, maybe this is more manageable than we think. It's a starting point until we can come up with a permanent solution."

He didn't look appeased at all, but at least he didn't look like he would fling himself off a building and hope for the best. That was too dramatic, even if it was touching that he had faith that they would save him, and they would have, but she didn't want to risk it. There were other options for them to look at, especially now that they had an idea of what they were up against, that didn't involve dying.

When he didn't argue anymore, which meant either he was preparing another argument or was resigned to his fate, two extremes that weren't lost on her, she commented, "We still don't have a name for this though. I'm tired of thinking of it as, well, _it_."

Wally slapped the table, grinning. "I know! Soul-bond! You guys are soulmates!"

The people at the table groaned while he laughed loudly, unaware of the reddening people staring murderously at him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please! Chapter trivia: This story was originally going to be about them stuck together (the spell making it impossible for them to let go of the other person's hand) and that's where the name Glue came from, but when I started writing, the idea changed and lead to the rest. I kept the name as a reminder and a tribute to the discarded idea. Might do a one-shot about it, but I'm a-okay with someone else doing it instead if they so please.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** If you're ever curious about how updating is going, check out my profile; I have a current progress section that will tell you how a chapter is going and when I expect to be publishing it! The next chapter will probably take a few days longer than normal, I'm on vacation with the family in Vegas (I'm skipping the pool to post this for you guys!) and then graduation on Wednesday so I'll be a bit busy. Enjoy the update!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

The meeting ended after that with renewed spirits for most of the table; the relief at the table was almost tangible as they embraced Diana and offered well wishes, encouraging her to stay strong. She didn't need the encouragement, she was strong with or without it, but Bruce could see the way her eyes lightened with each word and managed to contain his annoyance at the delay of returning to Gotham.

They lingered in the room, knowing that this would possibly be the last time they stood together like old times until the meeting next month, but there was more to it than that; Bruce could see that while they relieved Diana, her mere presence after knowing that she could have died eased them too. It was easy to think that, even in their line of work, that they would live forever with their strength, especially those in the group that were considered among the strongest, and he figured this was an eye opening experience for them. Another reason for him delaying.

Wally and Shayera talked to Diana, but while they demanded that she explain exactly how he acted in an effort to ensure that Bruce had been treating her like a gentleman, he tuned them out, thinking about the other reason for his want to be in Gotham. Even after looking into Robin's patrols from the past few nights and Oracle's wealth of information, he was no closer to figuring the Joker out. Bruce didn't think the man could get more irritating, but fate loved to prove him wrong.

"How are things in Gotham, Bruce?" Clark asked, interrupting his brief fantasy of locking Joker in a cell and forgetting where he put the key.

"Fine," he answered curtly.

"You sure you don't need any help? I know you don't like metas in Gotham, but we have non-powered heroes that would be happy to cover for you and I'm sure we could come up with a good excuse why," he suggested.

"Robin has it covered and backup is arranged if required," he replied, not wanting to delve into the weekly argument of whether the league interfering in Gotham would help when Bruce knew it wouldn't.

Clark realized this and nodded reluctantly. "If you say so. Anyway, I'm going now; I'll be chewed out if I'm late."

"Got a project due for the Daily Planet?" asked Bruce.

He shook his head and, with a boyish grin, began to leave the room, offering a response over his shoulder. "Actually, I have a date with Lois." The door hissed closed behind him.

"Finally," muttered Diana, approaching him with a smile. "I thought he would never actually ask her after he revealed his identity. Just another pair to handle and the tension in here will be an all time low." Her eyes flickered to Shayera and John, in the middle of them squabbling about something Bruce had ignored.

"Matchmaking, Princess?"

"No, just pushing them to answer a question that's been coming for a long time," she replied, shrugging and looking away from him. "Is there anything you need to do or shall we go? We'll have time to talk with Tim and Alfred before dinner."

"I was under the impression-" he started quietly, eyeing Shayera and John before gesturing that they leave the room, starting towards the transporter. At the way their argument was going, he imagined Diana would be getting her wish for them to sort things out sooner than she anticipated. "-that you wanted to avoid Tim."

She didn't need to confess, her cheeks heating up did the trick. "Why do you think that?" Diana questioned calmly, but voice too low to pull it off.

"Lucky guess."

"You don't guess," she accused.

"Call it a hypothesis then. I know that you've been plotting, but couldn't come up with anything so you asked Wally and Shayera."

She smirked, "So you're eavesdropping."

A rookie hero nearly dropped his drink, recognized the look on her face and her company, and disappeared into a doorway that Bruce knew lead to a closet. He didn't smirk, but his lips twitched with the effort not to and Diana, spotting this, dropped her smirk with confusion. "Maybe," he replied. "But their idea was interesting. Were you going to tell me or just spring it on me and hope for the best?"

She had the decency to blush again, but probably realizing that it was the second time in so many minutes of doing so that she pushed it away with a frown. "Not sure, if I chose the first one, you would argue. If I chose the second, you would be mad."

"Do you know what you're asking for?"

"To get the full attention of the billionaire playboy and pretending to be somebody I'm not all for getting revenge against a teenager who unknowingly slighted me and would probably apologize if I just told him upfront who I am?" She ticked off the points with her fingers, pausing for a long while to think. "I don't know, but… I think I could use a good laugh and they guaranteed that this would do the trick."

They passed the room that they had talked in with Zatanna earlier and with only a quick, unnoticable glance to ensure the emptiness of the corridor, he took her elbow, pulling her into the room. Shock silenced her objections, but only until the door hissed closed and she expressed her ire in a heated glare. "What-?"

He locked up the room before she finished and then turned to face her. "I think we should talk."

Diana laughed bitterly. He didn't think that was the type of laughing she meant. "I don't have to guess what, do I?"

 _How ironic… he's the one…. to talk._ He grimaced inwardly at the flash of thoughts that drifted to him. "I think it's fairly obvious. Are you… okay?" Bruce sat, relieved when she hesitated before sitting too.

"Do you mean do I feel any different now that I know more of what's happening?"

He didn't respond and she took that as confirmation.

"No, I don't," she replied simply, composed and nearly unreadable. He tried not to read too much into it or how the roles were reversed for once, with him doing the pursuing and her doing the avoiding. Diana sighed, face falling. "Bruce, let's not."

"We can't ignore it."

She shook her head, exasperated, mouth opening with a scathing retort that Bruce straightened in preparation for when she stopped, eyes taking on a different, more thoughtful light. Turning in her seat to face him fully, his eyes suddenly noting the openness of her body language, she smiled, "If you help me with Tim, I'll answer any questions you have in a… one hour period," she supplied, leaning on her palm.

His automatic response was to reject her and the _no_ was half formed on his lips before he considered otherwise. Diana was a being of emotion, who didn't wrestle to control them in the way Bruce did, and wouldn't hide her emotions for long, he would easily be able to detect what she felt about this without having to do anything extra. But how long would that take, both for her to reach the end of her stoicism and for him to decipher what they meant?

On the other hand, it wouldn't require much of anything for him to put on the fop facade and trick Tim into thinking that Diana was actually just another woman to further Bruce Wayne's playboy persona. But that came with problems too, namely the fact that Diana could easily _end_ the playboy persona and how his arguments against them were growing quieter and quieter. Did he really want to add fuel to the flames, particularly ones that flared on their own?

Then again, Tim's face… He did need to get back at him for scratching the batcycle, even if the repair job took Bruce a total of five seconds to fix; he also could use some new blackmail considering everything else was out of date. Maybe it wasn't such a bad proposition. No, bad and difficult weren't the problem; it was just _dangerous_.

Diana waited patiently while he mulled it over, but he didn't need a bond to tell her shoulders tensed the longer he didn't say a word, worried about what he would say in response. After all, Batman was supposed to be a workaholic to the supreme; he wasn't supposed to indulge in things like getting back at evil (though well intentioned) teenagers.

Her embarrassment rose with his silence. He cut it off before she could verbalize it, smirking as he spoke, "Deal."

* * *

A flash of light announced their arrival in the cave once more. He could hear Diana holding her breath, fearful of Tim noticing and blowing the whole thing before they even started, releasing it only when the response to their arrival was the bats twitching at their arrival.

"We'll need to tell Alfred," Diana said to him, going down the steps to the main area of the cave.

"About being back or about the plan?"

"He has super hearing of sorts, I'm sure he knows that we're here already. So the second one."

"Funny, I thought so too," he mused, going into the changing room to get out of his uniform and into the sweats and t-shirt combo he had worn earlier, deciding to shower up in his room and prepare up there.

When he came back, she was already dressed in a pale yellow sundress, examining her ankle critically for any lingering marks from her battle with Killer Croc days prior, looking up when she heard his footsteps and offering him a dazzling smile. She straightened up, "So how am I supposed to arrive without Tim knowing?"

"I'll get Alfred and tell him the plan first, he'll find a way to keep Tim busy so we can get you upstairs to get ready and then outside to make it look like you just arrived," he explained. Then rolled his eyes as a thought occurred to him. "Shouldn't you be telling me what to do? I'm just an accomplice."

"You would change my plans to suit your needs anyway," she accused. "Just saving myself the time and effort."

"What would you do without me?" He muttered under his breath, forgetting she had hearing as acute as Alfred.

Her grin widened, a mark of her good mood. "Probably the same thing with a different billionaire."

"Oliver, huh?" He commented, mentally preparing a list of questions for later use. He went to the computer, pulling up security for the manor where he saw live footage of every hallway and main room. Diana looked around him, laughing as she spotted Tim watching a movie on the couch, his hair disheveled from his position.

"I thought he would be doing something, generally you guys are always doing something, I'm not even sure if you _have_ hobbies," she remarked curiously.

He wanted to argue that he had hobbies in between his double life, never mind actually naming them off, when she pointed at the screen. Alfred entered the study purposely, opening the clock entrance and disappearing from the camera's view. Inside the cave, Bruce tilted his head to hear anything that would announce his presence, for once being able to catch the butler coming down the stairs, but not even a scuff of his polished shoes betrayed him.

He put the computer to sleep just as the butler came into view, unsurprised to see the two of standing there, his hands folded behind his back. "You're back early," Alfred noted calmly, his eyes flickering between the two of them. "Judging by the lack of tender goodbyes, I can assume that things didn't go to plan, Sir, Miss?"

Bruce rolled his eyes while Diana smiled fondly, albeit uncomfortably with the reminder of what they learned at the meeting. "Not quite, but we'll be working on it, I guess I'll be encroaching on your hospitality for a little while longer," Diana replied, smiling.

"You're always welcome here," Bruce responded exasperatedly, ignoring the flood of warmth through the bond at his words. He looked at Alfred, whose surprise vanished behind his own mask; he narrowed his eyes. "Diana has decided to be Bruce Wayne's date tonight, we'll need to make the preparations for that."

Alfred unflappable attitude failed him then, his eyebrows rising though his face stayed blank. "Is there an event that you've decided to attend, Sir?"

"No, just dinner tonight," he replied, smirking at Alfred's confusion. The butler couldn't hide it from him. Bruce continued, "It seems Tim here hasn't realized that we have a guest or that said guest is Wonder Woman."

"When you say Bruce Wayne, do you mean-?"

"I mean the idiot," Bruce responded boredly, eyeing Diana who had so far remained quiet. "Princess, do you want me to do the honors of explaining or shall I?"

Annoyed, she replied briskly. "I can speak for myself, thank you. Tim sent me out to… what did you call it, Bruce, the fountain? The fountain when I first met him, he seemed to think I was one of Bruce Wayne's…. friends," she stumbled over the world, unsure of how to explain the women he used. "So, I thought, why not make him think I'm exactly that? Make him uncomfortable, make him think the worst, then tell him the truth and see how he reacts."

"It's rather uncharacteristic of her, I know, if I didn't hear her get the plan from Flash and Hawkgirl, I would have accused her of being somebody else," Bruce mused to Alfred calmly. "It's just a little payback, no harm done. I just wanted to warn you, treat this as if it was somebody else."

"Shall I be coming up with an excuse for you to leave before dessert too?" Alfred asked, composing himself once more, a glint to his eyes that Bruce didn't enjoy.

Diana answered for him, "No, he won't, he'll have to suffer through our company the entire evening unless there's an _actual_ emergency."

Alfred actually smiled, ignoring Bruce's glare. "Perfect, Miss. Diana, I shall continue dinner and enlist Master Tim to help while you guys prepare yourself. I might encourage you to take a minute to compose yourself and change, I don't believe Bruce Wayne would dress like that when meeting a date, especially one he favors enough to introduce to his ward," he cast a critical eye over Bruce's clothes, who shrugged in response. "Come up in five minutes."

While Alfred disappeared back upstairs, muttering under his breath about _children_ _and their games_ , Bruce smirked at her. "It's too late to back out now, you know that, right?"

"Amazons aren't cowards," she stepped closer to him, hand resting on his chest. Bruce wished he was wearing something other than this thin cotton shirt, something thicker to ward off the jolt at her contact, doing his best to remain impassive. "It's too late for _you_ to back out now because I'll be very displeased if you leave, but I think Alfred will be more so. You probably shouldn't have told me that Alfred was Bruce Wayne's weakness."

"Ah, here I was afraid that Batman's _enemies_ would be the ones using my loved ones against me, I should have known it would be his _allies_ that took advantage." Her fingers caressed his chest, where he knew his emblem would be, and he narrowed his eyes. "I have the feeling you're up to something else, Princess."

"Is revenge against Tim not enough?"

"You've never been one for revenge and generally not like this; it's rather underhanded for someone who is supposed to embody truth," he pointed out critically.

"True." She caught the look in his eye and groaned, dropping her forehead down on her hand. "This has nothing to do with our bond and you aren't allowed to ask about that until after dinner, remember?"

He argued goodnaturedly, "You didn't specify when the hour started, Princess."

She lifted her head, tapping his chest. "Okay, I'm specifying now: after dinner."

Bruce nodded, sighing. So much for that effort, he hadn't really discovered anything he didn't already know. He glanced towards the stair, "I think we've been down here enough time for Alfred to get Tim doing something else, let's go." He moved her hand from his chest and tucked it in his arm, leading her away.

She tightened her grip, keeping stride with him even with his masterful movement up the stairs. "How fancy of a dinner did this turn into?"

"Knowing Alfred?" And knowing that the hurried way the butler had left the cave, he added with a grimace. "It's probably turned into an actual introduction of Bruce Wayne's date to his family. I imagine it'll be casual enough that you could wear a regular dress. Stick with a color other than red or blue though."

"Because of my armor?" She said knowingly. He did his best not to look down at her, knowing the angle would offer him a rather tantalizing gaze at her assets and he preferred not to be punched in the face while walking on the stairs. "I'll find something that works then. I'll go out the window and meet you at the front door in about forty minutes?"

Entering the study, he released her hand, nodding. "Alright, just ring the doorbell and I'll come get you."

"Doesn't Alfred normally handle that?"

"Generally, but I think Alfred is preoccupied with his plan."

"His plan?" She arched a brow, pausing in the doorway.

"I think he's up to something, he took this rather well, he was supposed to dissuade you from this choice," he said without thinking.

Diana glared at him and he winced. "Were you trying to get out of our deal?"

He couldn't think of an adequate response so he shrugged. "No, but I was hoping Alfred would manipulate it in my favor more."

She stared at him silently, blue eyes seeming to drill into his and though Bruce was the best at winning stare downs, he had the urge to shift his weight away from the look. Then, they softened a degree, a flash of embarrassment through the bond that she managed to keep off her face and her voice as she asked, "Do you think this is stupid?"

"Dangerous," he corrected, "And maybe a little stupid, but not in the way you might be thinking."

"Good because I want to enjoy this, it'll be fun when we get to tell him the truth," she said, retreating from the room with a sigh that told him she was thinking of some other advantage to this.

Rather than stand around and think about it, Bruce elected to head up to his room once her footsteps faded, walking into the bedroom and kicking the door closed behind him. He rummaged through his closet absently, deciding on a pair of black slacks, a white button up shirt, and a silk, dark blue tie then into the bathroom for a shower and shave.

It took a moment for him to realize he was actually looking forward to this. While he didn't want to play the fop anymore than he had to, he just thought of Tim's face when the truth came out and his mindset on the whole thing increased dramatically. He would get to hold Diana too, but he tried to pretend that wasn't the reason his hands were shaking as he finished up and began to change.

"When did I get terrible at lying to myself?" He asked aloud, fixing the strangle hold his tie had on his throat, glaring at his reflection. He was acting like this was an actual date with the woman he- But it wasn't and he needed to stop thinking of it as a date with Diana, a beautiful Amazon that he didn't have feelings for, and start thinking of it as a date with Diana, another rich socialite he didn't have feeling for.

Which reminded him that they needed a backstory if Tim asked any questions and he would if Bruce knew anything about him. At least that was a problem that he could handle though, he could focus on that while he wasted - he attached a silver watch to wrist, frowning at the time - twenty minutes.

* * *

"Diana! You look ravishing this evening!" Bruce said brightly, all smiles, jaw drops, and leers at her figure. For her sake, he kept it minimal, enough to fool TIm, but not enough for her to punch his teeth in when she caught him looking at her breast. At least that he could blame on the playboy, but he couldn't deny that her thigh high lilac dress did wonders to the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts made provoked a real reaction.

He was the goddamn Batman, he was not supposed to have this issue of tearing his gaze away the moment he opened the door, his preplanned words nearly fumbling on his lips. It was her blush and then smirk at his scrutinizing gaze that knocked him into action as he held the door open wider for her.

"Thank you," she said lightly, looking him up and down in an eerily similar way to all the women he normally dated. He couldn't help but to impressed by the act. "You look handsome yourself." Diana entered the manor, peeking around him for a sign of anybody else in the house and offering him a bright, real smile when they both heard Tim telling Alfred that he wondered who it was tonight.

"So," he said, lowering his voice. "Our history, if he asks, is that we met in Paris where you were promoting a book."

She stared blankly. "A book?"

"Diana Prince is a writer from Greece who went to an event in Paris with some friends and unfortunately caught the press' attention. What kind of gentleman would just leave her to be bombarded with all those questions?" He asked seriously, though it was ruined by his lips twitching.

"Did I happen to fight off a group of people trying to steal a princess while you snacked on gross finger foods?" She asked, her amused voice low to prevent curious ears from hearing. Thankfully, Tim was still talking to Alfred, complaining about being dressed up for this and couldn't be bothered with what they were doing or talking about that prevented them from saying hello immediately.

He replied with a smirk. "I knew you had it under control, why waste the effort?"

"I ruined my dress for that," she informed him.

"I'll buy you another one," he said dismissively. Then, louder, "So after this witch attacked the girl, what happened?"

"Spoilers, Bruce, I can't just tell you the ending anymore than I have," she replied swiftly, getting a grin in response as he offered her his arm, escorting her to the sitting room where Tim was waiting. "I want you to be surprised by the ending."

"I don't like surprises," Bruce laughed, pushing open the door. "Well, unless they are pleasant and a bit more… Oh, damn, can't say that in front of him… Hello, Tim, I've got somebody you'd like to meet. I think you guys have met already?" He tried not to laugh when Tim gapped between the two of them, clearly remembering who she was.

Diana smiled fixedly, staring hard. Maybe her eyes were capable of looking at someone's soul if Tim's shiver was anything to go by and he nearly tugged on Diana's arm, because looking into people and seeing the real them was a Wonder Woman thing to do, when she dropped her gaze, a fake smile on her face but real amusement shining in her eyes. "Hello again, Tim, I'm grateful to see you again. I hope your emergency worked out without too many difficulties? You were gone a _long_ time, I almost thought you ditched me."

Tim paled. "O-oh? Yes, everything worked out, thank you. Is that Alfred calling me? I better-" He lied, edging his way to the door.

"No, no, you stay here and keep my friend company while I check on things. You can do that for me, right, Tim?" Bruce asked, smirking as they both shot him confused looks. When Tim nodded jerkily, he lifted Diana's hand, gently kissing it; they both didn't miss Tim's uncomfortable shifting and they both smiled. "I'll be back soon." He dropped it and left the room swiftly, waiting until he was far enough away from both of their ears to finally laugh, leaning against the wall and giving him that moment before pushing off to leave.

He entered the kitchen, nearly salivating at the smell wafting to his nose, reminding him of Alfred's master skill. "For only having about an hour to prepare, you've done a lot," he remarked as Alfred bustled around, preparing at least three things at one time.

"Master Bruce, you're supposed to be entertaining your date," he said sternly.

"Bruce Wayne tends to hold the conversation when he's in a room and I'm just giving her the chance to make him uncomfortable without my help. After all, she's the one who wanted this," he replied simply.

Alfred sniffed at a dish of something that Bruce didn't immediately recognize. "Yes, but I imagine you had a motive in this too."

"He scratched the batcycle, I had to get back at him somehow." Because his reply was lame enough to even make Alfred pause, he went on to avoid explaining anymore. "Besides, I know you're getting something out of this too."

"And what might that be, Sir?"

Bruce didn't reply immediately. "Something, I'm just not sure what."

"Perhaps I'm just enjoying the opportunity to give everyone a proper meal for once," Alfred offered him, proving more than ever that he had an ulterior motive that Bruce didn't know. His narrowed eyes never moved from him, but Alfred didn't spare him a glance, waving him out of the room. "Go, before Master Tim assumes that you want him to get rid of her for you, I don't think Miss. Diana would enjoy being sent to the fountain a second time."

Reluctantly, he left the room, shooting glances backwards until the door blocked any sight of the kitchen, shaking his head as he made his way back to the sitting room. Maybe this was a bad idea, he hadn't realized that when he dragged Alfred in not only would he be almost enthusiastic about the plan, he would try to manipulate it to-

He froze as soft music drifted into his ear, the kind that he heard at events as an excuse to pull your partner close while you danced; the kind that shouldn't be playing. _Alfred_ , he thought accusingly, shifting from Bruce Wayne's noisy footsteps to Batman's complete silence, edging closer and closer to the room he had abandoned Diana and Tim.

Hearing lilting laughter and nervous chuckles, he hovered in the shadows of the threshold, watching them curiously. Tim had a hand on her waist and the other holding hers gently, trying to follow her movements and ultimately failing; in all the things he had taught his wards, dancing hadn't ever come up.

Tim's face was bright red as he stepped on her toes. Diana pretended to grimace, but he knew it didn't actually hurt. "Sorry."

"Well, you'll get it soon," she said flightly, spotting Bruce in the doorway and relinquishing his hand as the song ended. Tim took a very large step back. "There you are, I thought you were trying to fix me up with your son. He's a little too young for me." She didn't smirk exactly, but the way her eyes twinkled made him think that it was a close thing.

"I think maybe a demonstration is in order, don't you?" He held out a hand.

"My toes might be able to handle someone with a slimmer stature, but I imagine they'll be crushed if you have two left feet, Bruce," she chided, her slim fingers slipping into his hand anyway as he tugged her closer to him, far more so than she had pulled Tim, drinking in the bright smile that appeared in response.

He tightened his grip playfully before assuming the right position, one hand resting on her waist and the other taking her hand, beginning to sway gently. "I assure you that Tim's skills in no way reflect my own." He chuckled at Tim's grumbling. "But, of course, you know this already."

"You are a man of surprises, I wouldn't be surprised if you were faking it," she mused, tilting her chin up to look him in the eye rather than at his nose.

Bruce laughed and Tim stared. "No, I'm quite confident in my dancing ability."

She hummed under her breath, her hand moving from his to join the other around his neck. His heart jumped under his skin at the contact, of her pressing nearly entirely against him, but that was nothing compared to the jolt when her thumb began to caress the back of his neck, a shiver going down his spine. "Your hands are cold," he stated feebly when her eyes didn't drift from his, a knowing glint in them.

"Of course," she allowed, but her smile widened and he knew he wouldn't escape it so easily. She leaned her head on his chest and murmured for only him to hear, "You know, I think he just about fell over when I asked him to dance, I thought that would come up at some point."

"Our training doesn't include how to spin somebody around a dance floor." Silently, they swayed in one spot for a long moment, uncaring of the fact that Tim slipped from the room, content to listen to the other's breathing. Bruce dropped his cheek to her soft hair, inhaling the scent of jasmine, knowing that he probably wouldn't get this chance again, and he wasn't sure which of their emotions or the combination of both made him sad for that fact.

He closed his eyes, puzzling over the rush of delight and dread that hit him as he did so. The fear he could understand; his mind was screaming at him about the fragility of the situation, of the fact they were both stomping on the thin ice and just asking for it to snap.

The happiness took a little longer to recognize.

She shifted, lifting her head to rest in the crook of his neck. Then, he felt it; her heart fluttering as wildly as his, her fingers tracing circles on his neck, brushing against his hair while his own tightened on her waist. It wasn't a declaration of love or a promise of something more, but it was the acknowledgement that this person, her to him and him to her, was important, different than all the other very important people in their life.

It wasn't sacrificing something of themselves for the other and losing sight of their own goals, but the contentment at sharing with them, even with something simple like drawing comfort at their closeness, not needing to say a word. He didn't feel stressed, not about the Joker's plans or Circe's spell, the emotions lingering but ignorable for a brief time, and it hit him that he could learn to enjoy this.

He didn't know why he pushed this away anymore and his brain might have forgotten how to work. There was a reason though. More than one. They sounded redundant and overthought for something so simple though.

The music had long since faded and they had stopped moving instead to just embrace the other. He drew back from her, feeling cold when she was a respectable distance away, her eyes were understanding, even if the bond showed him her sadness and longing, amplifying his own. He could drown in their combined emotions.

"Alfred said dinner's ready," Tim announced, appearing in the doorway with an easy grin, though his eyes flickered between the two of them seriously. Diana didn't look at him or smile for a second, his breath stuck in his throat for just as long, until she managed to twitch her lips and laugh.

"Let's not keep him waiting; I've heard great things about his culinary skills," she said without a trace of breathlessness that Bruce envied. He didn't think he would be able to speak without sounding winded and so he didn't, offering his arm silently as he escorted her from the room. Tim tried to catch his gaze, his eyes seeming to ask what that was about. He ignored it, lost in thought.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please! Expect to see more of Tim next chapter and if you have any requests of something you'd like to see, let me know.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I've got something to say when you get to the end! It's not important, just something I wanted to point out! Enjoy, let me know what you think! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, we get back into plot stuff tomorrow!

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Alfred outdid himself again, to not surprise to anybody when they sat in the dining room and he approached with salads designed to perfection for each person at the table. That is, Tim's had no tomatoes, Diana's had extra croutons, and Bruce's dressing was done lightly at best; that was enough for Diana to consider this a good direction.

If only the conversation could be as nice; an awkward silence settled over the table, Tim looking between the two of them with sharp, accusing eyes. Of what heinous crime Diana had committed to get such a look, she didn't know, but she fought against the instinct to throw him an equally piercing look, instead giving a politely confused smile.

Bruce stayed silent through the exchange until Diana kicked his shin. He didn't jump, but he did lift his gaze from the apparently hypnotic pull of his drink and blink. And blink again. Then, his lips erupted in a large smile that made her internally wince. Such a smile would hurt a lesser man. "Normally people talk enough that I get an opening in there to say a witty joke, but you guys don't want to make it easy for me, huh?"

"You never took me as the type of man to need a boost," she commented, sipping her drink to hide her smile when Tim muffled a snort.

He didn't miss a beat with his own response, a challenging gleam to his eyes. "Only when I'm trying to grab an angel."

She took a bite of her food, chewing and swallowing as she very quickly contemplated a response. This took a while as she was trying to hold back her laughter. "Awfully full of yourself to think you could play among the angels." Replace angels with superheroes, although some claimed the two were interchangeable, and he could admit to doing that every night. Unfortunately, while both Tim and Diana knew that, the former didn't _know_ that the latter did.

"Or I'm just trying to show everyone that I am one," he said with a cheeky smile.

Tim laughed loudly, polishing off his plate. "Angel? Yeah, right, that's the furthest thing from you."

Bruce narrowed his eyes jokingly, no heat to his gaze and amusement clear in his voice. "Quiet you, I'm trying to show you how to woo and you're blowing it!"

Diana laughed this time, setting her fork down on a nearly empty plate. Man's World, for all her time spent there, still made her laugh with the absurdity. _I didn't think the word woo was in the Batman's vocabulary,_ she thought. Her head began to tingle. It was similar, but not quite, to the feeling she got when somebody was watching her and though she couldn't see it or feel anything else, she just knew that he had heard that thought.

Between one blink and the next, his eyes shifted from Tim's retort, one that failed to register in Diana's ears as she considered whether or not the feeling was her imagination, and he settled on her, almost confused. Alfred came then with a cart, before either of their lips could open with the question of _Did you feel that_ , taking the finished salad from them and replacing it with three plates of alfredo with broccoli for each of them, the aroma rising in their noses and awakening their hunger once more.

Diana blinked the question away and then gave him a _We'll talk later_ look before turning to Tim. "Bruce never told me, have you been here long?" Though he tensed up some, no doubt thinking of his situation before coming to Wayne manor, she was grateful when he thought on the question instead of lapsing into silence like Bruce would.

"A couple of years now, I suppose, but with all that happens around here, I don't really keep track," Tim said carefully, twirling his fork in his noodles.

"I take it he's a busy man?" She smirked.

"Very, but don't let him fool you, I don't think he's at work as much as he says he is," he said with a grin, ignoring the almost real glare that Bruce sent his way.

She nodded, equally unconcerned when his look shifted to her. "I figured as much, an adrenaline seeker can't sit in his office all day long, that would be maddening. I'm surprised you've been sitting with us so long at all, Bruce, I expected you to make a run for it by now." Mostly false, since she knew that Bruce wouldn't be ditching them without a real emergency and while he did have the record for sitting doing something all day, it was generally a productive something.

"You're both turning against me, aren't you?" Bruce said with a drawn out sigh.

"Not yet, I think he's still resisting me," she said charmingly. "So, does he make you act like an errand boy then?"

"Occasionally," he answered honestly, thinking of when he first decided to become Robin and the tasks Bruce would make him handle. "But nothing I couldn't handle. Frankly, the worst times are the ones where I get rid of the women."

She sent Bruce a hard look, trying not to laugh when he turned a rather pretty shade of pink, mumbling something under his breath that sounded like a curse. "Oh really? And how many women have there been?"

Tim took savage pleasure in his nonchalant response. "Too many to count, well into the hundreds I'm sure," he said, taking the time to take a large bite of his food, chew, and swallow while Diana's mouth fell open in shock, fork clattering to her plate. "You must be very determined to risk it."

Bruce sounded a little too serious when he replied sarcastically. "Thanks, Tim, you're a great wingman."

He smiled innocently at both of them while Diana fought to regain her composure, made difficult by the repeating thought of _well into the hundreds_ replayed in her mind. "What? If you like her enough to introduce her to me, she's not going to be scared off by the other women, even if some of them turn into vultures in the middle of the night!"

"What?" She asked, startled again. _Oh Hera, what did I get myself into?_

"He doesn't mean that literally," Bruce explained quickly, glaring at Tim all the while trying to maintain the act. She appreciated the effort because she found herself having a difficult time now. "Just that some of the women from my past took the break up rather… badly."

She picked up her fork carefully, trying not to drop it as she asked hesitantly, "Do I even want to know what the worst was and how you encouraged such a response?"

Bruce paused. "Um."

"What did I get myself into?" She moaned, dropping her head into her hands. Her lips suddenly twitched as they both went to grab a drink. "Tim, I've decided that I'm moving my attention to you, I think Bruce might be a lost cause."

They both choked, spluttering. Bruce recovered first, clearing his throat a few times. "What? I am well worth it!"

"Yes, but I don't have to compete for his attention or run the risk of someone ripping my head off," she pointed out.

Tim made a noise like he was still choking. "Um… don't I get a say in this?"

They ignored him. "No way, none of them cared that much, they would be too afraid to attack you." He paused here, seeming to think about his women and amended himself. "Well, they might, but I think you can handle yourself rather well. You giving up on me?"

"No."

Either her warm smile or her determined eyes said a little too much because he went quiet, his brain whirring with thoughts behind his dark eyes, allowing Tim to break into the conversation once more. Dinner continued uneventfully and though none of them admitted it aloud, they rather enjoyed it though none more so than the butler listening from the other room.

* * *

They were dancing again, but she wasn't in his arms this time and it wasn't as enjoyable as the time in Paris or in his sitting room. No, it was words and glances that were supposed to mean nothing, little jokes in their act, but might have meant more than either intended. They did for her, at least, and they did for him if the hesitance in his responses, so unlike the playboy, said anything.

For his part, Tim had managed to avoid asking any direction questions about this new development, this new seriousness to their act, his confusion communicated through wary glances and interruptions whenever either of them happened to stare a little too hard at the other. Diana didn't think he liked this, maybe wary of what her intentions could be, thinking that she was the same as any other woman that Bruce brought into this part of his life, and she wanted to assure him otherwise.

She had no need for his money, his company, or his status. She didn't even _need_ him, but the fact remained that she _wanted_ him and it became harder to push that thought away as the evening progressed, as dinner ended and conversation continued on in another entertaining area of the mansion, one that she had spent little time in during her stay.

She didn't notice when Tim retreated from the room after Bruce sent him a look or notice the way Tim's eyes flashed with worry, arguing with him silently and ultimately losing. He would make his own conclusions of how the evening went.

Bruce studied her; she didn't notice this either. "Princess?"

She jolted as though shocked. "Yes?- Wait, where'd Tim go?"

"He went to get ready for patrol while you were thinking." He loosed his tie, letting it hang around his throat for a moment before discarding it to the coffee table.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she sighed, smoothing her dress nervously. Without Tim there was a buffer, she could guess where he wanted to go with the conversation. The act was done now; Diana couldn't help but feel like the enjoyment was short-lived and less amusing than she had anticipated it, but they hadn't dropped the truth on his lap yet. There was hope still.

She blinked, recognizing the impatience in his stance despite his attempts at shoving it down. The fact that he was trying at all was endearing, making her smile as he considered how to start the topic without ruining her mood entirely. Diana decided to help a little. "We have to talk now, don't we?"

"We can't avoid it forever."

He doubted her ability to avoid a subject; his too considering they had tip-toed around the subject of their relationship for years. But this was different and Diana wasn't the type of person to shy away from a challenge (aside from the already mentioned situation that she blamed entirely on him). She bit her lip, deciding on how to start, to make the transition of thought fragments into articulate sentences and ultimately failed.

"I don't know where to start?"

Like this was an investigation, and in a way it was, he took a seat in front of her on the coffee table, resting his elbows on his knees. She was mildly impressed that the table held under his weight, enough to miss the speculative look on his face when he caught her pointed look. "You're avoiding it," he informed her.

Her nose wrinkled. "No, I'm not."

"Princess, you're honest and blunt; you don't hold back from speaking your mind. Yet here you are, practically laughing at my sitting on the table," he pointed out then, at her confusion, tapped his head. "Heard that thought. This can withstand up to 300 pounds."

Annoyed, she straightened up. "Stop reading my thoughts!"

"I've been trying, but they are just getting stronger. Why don't you try to think quieter?"

"That's not possible, I don't think quiet or loud, I just think!"

"Then try and see how difficult it is." While she looked liable to yell at him, Bruce looked unconcerned, staring boredly at her flushing face.

"Are you winding me up?"

"Yes, I was hoping it would make you snap and actually speak, but I don't think it's working," he mused.

She grumbled under her breath. "The snapping part is certainly working."

"Come on, Princess," Bruce said, more seriously as he got up from the table, apparently finding the wood uncomfortable and deciding that sitting beside her was a better choice. While it forced her to move over some so that the added weight didn't make her topple into his lap, she admitted that it was somewhat reassuring to be sitting beside Bruce and not across from Batman. "Are you okay?"

She remembered the real question in there - _Does it feel different?_ \- and forced away her annoyance. A deal was a deal and she had agreed to talk after dinner. It was only proper that she actually spoke, but as she thought about it, poking and prodding at herself, she found that there weren't quite words to describe the feeling.

Before, she didn't feel any different, just a tingling sense whenever he wasn't close that grew more poignant if he moved too far and while the feeling hadn't changed now, still just as painful as before, she could sense something… more. But she didn't know if it was her imagination or not.

"Whenever I try to focus on the feeling, I feel like I'm touching the frayed edge of a blanket. It still works, it still keeps me warm, but it doesn't feel right, it doesn't cover everything as well," she explained slowly, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "It feels like something is missing, but that only started when souls came into question and I think that might just be my imagination getting the best of me. So, no, it doesn't feel any different; I wasn't lying when I said so earlier."

He nodded thoughtfully, but pointed out. "You didn't answer my question: are you okay?"

Confused, since she had thought that what she responded with was the actual question, had to ponder over this, but not as long as the previous question, just taking the time to prod her emotions and found that, while she should have been angry, there was a shocking lack of anything except... "Worried," she said decisively.

When she didn't continue, he sighed in exasperation, tilting his head to glare at her. "Am I going to have to dig all the answers out of you?"

"No." Her lips twitched. "The tables have really turned, generally it's me trying to get answers out of you, not the other way around. I'm really worried, if it helps, that this is going to be dangerous."

"Oh, now you think it's dangerous?"

"I did before too, but this is more so," she argued.

He asked curiously, "How so?"

"I know I said to push it a little, and I still think that's the best option, but I'm worried about any other attempts we can make to fix it. I remember when I first woke up and you were explaining this to me, you said that you felt it when I got cut here," she traced a finger across his neck where her long healed cut had laid, feeling his pulse jump beneath her touch; she didn't get to enjoy that reaction. "Does that mean any pain I feel, you'll feel? What if there's a serious injury done to me and this affects you? I don't want that, Bruce," she said honestly.

She expected him to pull up his walls, to close her out with the knowledge that even if they fixed this enough to get distance between each other, he would always be at risk because of her. What she expected and what actually happened differed because once she finished speaking, he sat silently, thoughtfully, and then faced her straight on, eyes suddenly lightening up as something occurred to him. "It won't."

"We don't know that."

"We know more than you think. Remember Arkham?" When she nodded, confused, Bruce smirked and explained, "Croc was throwing you around like a ragdoll sometimes, but I didn't feel any of that. Not while it happened and not after it happened. And, believe me, the way you hit the wall would have been enough to crack a few of my bones."

Diana thought she did quite a few heavy hits against Croc herself, but didn't mention this in light of his words. She hadn't entirely considered that, mainly because the injuries had healed up within the next day or two, but thinking back, she didn't see Bruce looking any different or moving gingerly as she had during the first day. She wasn't convinced entirely, but it was enough for a fraction of the weight on her shoulder to lighten. "That doesn't change the fact I could hurt you."

"You could, but I don't think it's likely. We could break your wrist and check it out if it'll settle your mind?" He didn't mean it seriously, but Diana saw the instant he realized his mistake: his eyes tightened when he saw her actually considering it.

"Tomorrow then," she agreed, smiling. It dropped after a moment, sighing as she reluctantly brought up another reason for her worry, one that she had done her best to ignore since J'onn voiced his theory. "I-I don't how to fix this," she murmured uncomfortably, her fingers messing with her dress again. "Thinking it was just a spell attached to both of us was easier, that could be broken, but this can't be broken, it can only be fixed. It's easier to break something than it is to fix it. And trying to fix something can make the break worse if it's done wrong."

He lifted his hand, hesitating, before gently taking hold of her chin, tilting her head up to him. "We'll figure it out," he promised firmly. Then, he dropped his hand as though burned, clearing his throat. Logically, he continued. "We'll need to figure it out, but, in the mean time, you might want to consider letting Donna handle your duties because I don't see either of us clearing it up in three days."

She thought that made sense now that the majority of their leads had dried up. They would, she thought, have to look in another direction or place a trap for Circe if they wanted real answers. She imagined doing just that as she smiled, brushing off his questioning look with a quick question. "What about Gotham? Someone is going to notice you're missing at some point."

"Robin has it handled for a little while longer, but..." He grimaced, the words seeming to become stuck on his lips. She sat up a little straighter. "Later, you'll have to accompany me on patrol until we figure something out. You'll have to follow my rules though, Princess, this isn't like league missions," he reminded seriously.

"I know that and I will," she promised, crossing her heart as further proof. She tried to hold back her glee, pulling on every ounce of her pride as an Amazon to do so. No need to let him know that she was honored that he was allowing this, even if it was done reluctantly. _I'll prove this is a good decision,_ she thought.

He stared at her a moment, taking in her position and her determination; a tentative smile formed after a moment. "I know, I trust you." As though surprised by his words, he stiffened, becoming a statue beside her. She considered waving her hand in front of his face to see if he was still there or if he was having an out of body experience, but just as she decided that his stillness was entirely unnatural, he came to life again, a look of determination on his face. Instinctively, she knew they weren't going to be talking about the bond right then.

"Bruce?" She murmured hesitantly. He shifted on the couch to face her fully, his face entirely too close and too far away from her's.

Without replying, his hand lifted to her face, brushing his fingers across her cheek lightly, as though hesitating on what to do next or maybe trying to read her reaction. When she didn't bat his hands away, he held her face, his hold exceedingly gentle and faint. Even without her strength, she could have broken away, but Diana was frozen, heart thundering in her chest, unable to look away from his eyes.

They were so… _clear_. There wasn't impenetrable ice around them for once and though he was the one who got to examine her soul, Diana thought she was seeing into his now; maybe for the very first time. She wanted to ask why, because this didn't seem like anything Bruce would do, but she didn't want to break the spell either, wanted to enjoy this moment, soaking up his thoughts as they drifted across his face.

She saw the hesitance, the confusion, and the flashes of past pain that fueled those emotions; she saw the determination, the intelligence, and the affection. Affection for _her_ , open for her to see.

 _Why Bruce?_ _Why now?_

Bruce, unconcerned, tilted his head just a fraction, their noses brushing against each other. She grasped his hand on her cheek feebly, knowing where this was going, feeling like all those little girls on television about to receive their first kiss. In a way, this would be her first kiss, her first real one, and her heart began to try and thump-thump its way out of her chest before his lips even touched hers.

Then he kissed her, seeming to test the texture and taste of her lips, but making no move to deepen it. It was less passionate than their kiss during than the Thanagarian invasion, but somehow more _everything_ as she responded to him, her hand tightening on his, her other falling flat on his chest, feeling the way his heart raced nearly as hard as hers and curling her fingers into his shirt to pull him closer.

She retreated for air a long moment later, still holding his shirt, not allowing him to leave. He would have to break her wrists if he tried, but when he didn't move, still holding her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek, she relaxed a fraction, cloudy eyes moving from his lips, to his nose, to his eyes.

They weren't as clear as before, but she was relieved that they weren't unreadable, that she could see his wariness without having to push through his walls. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know entirely," he answered honestly, an uncharacteristically sheepish smile gracing his face. "But I've wanted to for most of the evening."

She leaned her forehead against his, her lips brushing against his as she spoke, "I guess this means we have to talk?"

"We were in the middle of a discussion already," he pointed out.

"You probably shouldn't have kissed me then."

"Probably not," he agreed, unconcerned.

She tensed. "Do you regret it?"

He moved his hand from her cheek to her back, rubbing in circles until she relaxed against him. "No," he murmured truthfully.

She smiled softly, but at the thought of worrying all night about what tomorrow would bring, she couldn't help asking, "Will you tomorrow?"

At his silence, she began to shift away. She didn't want this to be a one night thing and though Diana had spent most of the evening trying to think up arguments against him, ones that would convince him to give them a chance, she wasn't going to fight forever. One last chance, that's what she had promised herself, her pride and dignity allowing nothing else. She wouldn't pine after him.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "I was thinking a lot tonight about how easily you fit in here," he started, uncomfortable at speaking freely, but knowing that he needed to for both their sakes. "How even though this was supposed to be an act, I deviated from the role at some point, at least a little bit, to be less... like the idiot. It wasn't a hard transition either; I didn't even realize it until Tim kicked me while we ate dessert and I realized that we were having a normal conversation, no leering or idiotic remarks. I guess it put something into perspective for me that I only realized unconsciously."

Though she probably shouldn't speak, Diana wasn't content to sit in silence, not when there was something like hope beginning to brew in her chest. She drowned it out with a healthy dose of skepticism. "And what is that?"

"There isn't a... facade to keep up, words to watch, or something to hide. I partially blame this on you; I didn't realize how freely you let your emotions go until I felt each of them and realized that I could just as easily hear them in your voice without this bond." Realizing he was about to drift off track, he shook his head sharply and simplified his explanation: "I'm comfortable with you."

 _I trust you_ , he had said, seeming to be the words that had pushed him into this line of thought.

She processed all of this in seconds, wondering possibly if Alfred had put something in their drinks with powers similar to her lasso, forcing the truth to their lips. But she knew Bruce; he wouldn't be saying this unless he meant it, not even her lasso had the power to bring this many words from him unless he allowed it. "What does this mean for us?"

"That depends on whether or not you want to throw me through that window there," he said, tilting his head towards it, pausing only a moment to linger on the twinkling stars outside before his eyes landed on her. The wariness was back again. "You asked me if I regretted it. Do you?"

"No."

"Will you tomorrow?"

"Not even if you did," she replied softly.

His lips brushed hers, so briefly that she might not have even considered it a kiss, and he drew back, smiling and content with what he knew. They would talk more tomorrow. "Good."

* * *

 **A/N:** So the reason I posted this chapter now instead of, say, waiting till tomorrow and doing some proper non-exhausted editing, is for one reason: I started this fanfiction on May 3, 2015 and today (to me) is June 3, 2015. I started this with the intention of getting an idea of the characters, getting back into writing, etc, etc. When I started it though, there was a tiny, tiny goal of mine where I wanted to try and get 50,000 in a month just to say I could. I didn't quite make it to the point _(*shakes fist*)_ but I'm really quite pleased with what I have got. I just wanted to share that with you guys. Now review and let me know what you think or if there's any obvious mistakes (I did read through, but I suck and I'm tired, graduation was only an hour but they made us stand for like two before we even began). Next chapter, we get back into plot stuff but we get fluff stuff too (or do we? *stares*).


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I am so sorry for the long wait. I started playing this game called Shaiya again and it might be just a little bit addicting (*pointedly doesn't look at how many hours she's played in the past five days alone*). On the other hand, I'm sure you'll enjoy this chapter, fluff and plot development.

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

"You're a bed hog, Princess," he deadpanned, tugging some of the blankets away from her as he climbed out of his bed. She stretched, flinging her arms across his pillows and smiled shamelessly as he paused in putting on sweats to watch.

They had spent the better part of the evening talking and kissing, with more emphasis on the latter than the former, before she had fallen asleep, head drooping on his shoulder until he nudged her awake, escorting her to her room. She, however, had no intentions of sleeping there tonight and only spent time switching from her dress to a pair of pajamas before heading to his room with confidence that should have floored him. Somehow, it didn't, not even when she kissed him senseless.

More importantly though, he found that waking up to seeing her first thing was all too natural and he could easily get used to it.

Dangerously so, maybe, but he tried to push that paranoid thinking away, allowing himself a small measure of comfort at how effortlessly she fit into his morning routine. She lifted herself into a sitting position, drawing the sheets up to her chest and looking ridiculously beautiful for someone with bed head, watching carefully as he dropped to the floor and did sit-ups.

"I'm not used to sleeping with someone," she admitted after a moment. He lifted his head, smirking; she laughed. "Not like that, I meant sharing a bed with someone…"

He paused, considering something for a long second before saying anything. "Was there ever anybody else?"

"I felt something for Steve Trevor, but it was brief and we've only been friends since I met him again," she said softly, fiddling with the sheets thoughtfully. Though their physical relationship and a portion of their emotional one did, there were still things to talk about, namely voicing how far those feelings went. He finished his routine in the moments it took her to think hard about something before her eyes lifted to his, stunning him with the blazing, determined look in them. "I haven't felt this strongly about anybody else before, Bruce, remember that."

Bruce sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to kiss her, putting all the passion, adoration, _love_ that he felt for her into it that he couldn't articulate into words yet, but hoping that she would understand it. Hoping that she would accept it until he could. She responded eagerly, holding his face in a delicate grip.

Several moments later, he broke away to catch his breath, her hand stroking his jaw teasingly and eyes bright with happiness. He smiled at her, grateful that she understood. "We should probably go," she whispered, moving her fingers to lightly kiss his jaw. "We've got things to do today."

"And what would that be?"

"Figuring this out," she said with a sigh. Seeing the alarm clear on his face, she kissed him again. "I meant the bond, though we have to talk about this too. I… don't want to forget this ever happened and Hera better help you if you ask me to do so."

While he would have liked nothing better to roll her under him and show her how much he wanted to remember the night before, he did understand that the bond was more important. Especially with this new development in their relationship. This past week wasn't going to be how it was all the time; there would be days they wouldn't see each other, they both knew that, and it wouldn't feel real until they were back to their normal schedules, managing to fit the other into their everyday lives.

"I won't ask you to, I don't want to either," he promised, getting up from bed again reluctantly, quelling the lust that filled him as she got up as well. For all his control over his emotions, the moment he kissed her, he had said goodbye to the ones that involved her. The dam was broken, requiring intensive training and care to replace if he wanted to keep her out. Good thing that he didn't otherwise he would probably curse himself for allowing them to progress this far.

"Good," she said with a small, relieved smile. She went into the bathroom, uncaring of her nudity or perhaps knowing that he had seen it all and more the night before as she started the shower. He imagined a bit of both. A moment later, she slipped inside, leaving a shadow of her figure as she stepped beneath the water. He nearly followed her, but the door knocking made him stop, pulling the bathroom door closed to keep curious eyes from seeing what only he was supposed to see and went to answer it. Tim stood grinning on the other side.

"Alfred sent me up, said that you better get down for breakfast or he'll make you wait till dinner," he said cheerfully.

"Why are you in a good mood?" Bruce asked suspiciously.

"Just relieved that the evening is over, your girlfriend scares me," he said simply.

Bruce hid a smile. "Oh?"

He nodded. "She looks at me and it's like she can see my soul. Kind of like you do, but different at the same time. You better be careful with her, I think she's a smart one, she'll probably figure it out." Tim turned to leave, shouting over his shoulder about him hurrying up.

"She is," he agreed, relieved that somebody else got the feeling that Diana saw too much of a person when she looked at them. On the other hand, the fact that Tim didn't seem to realize that Diana was still here meant that Alfred hadn't- Bruce froze in the doorway, remembering his suspicion from yesterday. During the dinner, he had spent half of his time on the conversation at the table and the other half waiting for Alfred to do _something_ out of the ordinary in an attempt to fix Bruce up with Diana.

If he had done something, Bruce didn't know what.

He thought most of the choices he made were his choice. In fact, he knew they were, he hadn't planned on doing anything until he heard her determined and serious _No_ when he jokingly asked if she was giving up on him. The rush of emotions that had hit him had nearly knocked him out of his seat, but the worse part was the complete honesty in her tone, the ease at which she felt when responding that had forced him to reevaluate their entire history together for what felt like the millionth time. From that, he remember one thing every single time that he had overlooked before: she always gave her feelings freely.

It had been entirely too easy to realize between the comfort of just dancing with her and that revelation to _finally_ toss his arguments out the window, _finally_ giving into the temptation of being with her. He remembered her question yesterday, about whether he would regret it, and his inability to say yes or no. The answer was fairly obvious now, but he only hoped it would stay that way later.

Arms slid around his waist from behind, her head dropping against his bareback. "The shower is free now," she murmured, sighing when he entwined their fingers against his stomach. "What are you doing?"

"Tim was just telling me that breakfast is done and that he's afraid of you," he replied with a chuckle, still thinking about the future.

She smiled against his back. "Afraid?"

"Yeah and I don't think he realizes you're here. Not sure how, we weren't exactly quiet last night," he smirked as her grip tightened, a flash of embarrassment flowing from her to him as though she had passed it along. He continued, "So he'll probably be surprised to see you. Why don't you head down while I take a shower? You can save me food."

She punched him lightly. "I think I'm going to make sure all the food is gone," she grumbled playfully, withdrawing her hands from around him and beginning to leave the room. He kissed her temple as she passed, conveying his fondness for her and feeling the reciprocation through the bond. A part of him enjoyed not needing to say words - a larger part was worried that he did.

His shower took all of ten minutes, including shaving and changing into clothes for the day, but he didn't immediately depart for the dining room where Diana and Tim would be eating breakfast. Instead, he made a stop inside the kitchen as Alfred was busy preparing another plate. Either for Bruce or for Alfred himself, he didn't bother to ask, leaning thoughtfully in the doorway as he closely watched him.

"Good morning, Master Bruce," said Alfred, well aware that he was there. "Shall you be joining Miss. Diana for breakfast?" There was a meaning there that Bruce could easily decipher and it had little to do with whether he was going to eat breakfast or not.

He didn't immediately reply either, not because he didn't know the answer, but because he suspiciously thought that the butler knew it already and just wanted him to verbally admit it. During that long pause, Alfred finished the eggs, regarding him with shrewd eyes. Whatever he found in Bruce's expression made pride replace that shrewdness and it forced him into speaking. "I'm going to try," he replied honestly. "Still not sure whether it'll only work out though."

"Thinking negatively will only assure that it doesn't." Alfred's words were kind, but they still made Bruce feel rather stupid and defensive. Alfred continued, "I know that you shall continue to think those things, but perhaps another angle for you to consider, as a counter to your arguments, is the reasons why it _should_ work. And while I can't guarantee that you will have a happy future with her, I have faith that you can try to do so."

He didn't say anything else, arranging the plate on a tray while Bruce stood still as a statue. Alfred always had a way of putting him at ease even when he wasn't aware of the tension, but his words drained away the fear and doubt that had crept at the edges of his mind all evening and morning.

"You sounded like you had a plan yesterday," Bruce said after processing Alfred's words, trying to convey a lifetime of gratitude in one look.

The butler made a noise, something like an amused _hmm_. "Ah, yes, you would be right. I am just grateful that it wasn't required to do anything necessary. You seemed to have handled it quite well on your own and, if I may say, it's about time."

Still suspicious, and mildly annoyed because he imagined that there would be quite a few people telling him that, Bruce asked, "What were you planning to do?"

Alfred didn't smile, but his eyes twinkled. "Would you like coffee or orange juice, Master Bruce?"

* * *

"Outside has less restrictions than inside." No walls to keep him from getting to her if something goes wrong, to be more specific, but considering how she was smiling, he managed to reign a fraction of his paranoia. Just enough to not say it out loud, at least. Her smile widening told him that she could read it on his face anyway, but she didn't call him out.

He stopped once they were into the grassy openness of the grounds, out of sight from the windows; while Tim claimed to be studying in his room, he was more likely watching out the window in an effort to keep Bruce safe, still unaware that Diana wasn't dangerous. Not when it came to discovering his secret identity and putting it to nefarious uses.

Diana stopped with him. "So how do you want us to do this?"

"It was your idea," he pointed out, an echo to their conversation the day before. His reluctance to doing this, potentially risking either of them, was tempered only by the resignation of needing to do this as well as the fact that he had J'onn on standby for a teleport if needed. Not that he mentioned this to her; her pride suffered with this bond of theirs more than his, at least he was in his home, capable of keeping a close eye on his mission. She was away from her mission, her friends, and her home - not to mention the fact that she was dependent on him. With her independence taken away, he expected some more tension from her.

Except for the fact that she was Wonder Woman and understood that complications came with the job. While this wasn't one they expected, nor was it one they appreciated, she understood that enough. It wasn't just her sacrifice either, he knew that Tim was already beginning to question why he hadn't been on patrol in not so many words, unable to buy that his poor excuse of helping a teammate. Maybe because he didn't know that Diana was his teammate; he wondered when that secret would come out.

Rather than reply as she had yesterday, she laughed. " _You_ stay here and _I'll_ walk away. I'll be able to tell if something is wrong and know when to stop than you could, even with the bond; I can also get to you faster if need be."

He thought it would be cheesy and uncharacteristic to say that her in pain could potentially give him Flashesque powers so he agreed with a nod, his hands in his pockets as she walked away until he turned his back. If the uncomfortable tightness in his chest was anything similar to what he put her through when _he_ walked away, he couldn't understand how she felt anything for him other than pure loathing. Worse was that he knew that she would come back, but how many times had he made her think he wouldn't?

How many times had he actually _tried_ not to? It was easy in the beginning, when he first realized that he cared for her in different way than the rest of the league, just uncomfortable and requiring distance. Distance that their missions made impossible sometimes, forcing them together time and time again, taking that small attraction and progressing it further, further, and further. After the Thanagarian invasion, as she spent time in his home until the Watchtower was back together, this being before she had her duties as an ambassador and her own world outside of the league, they had their first taste of life together. It was so easy to really and truly fall in love during that time.

He really didn't deserve her and that feeling only increased with the thought that she wanted him anyway, flaws and all.

He frowned, realizing that there was a ringing silence across the ground. With her so near, Bruce had suffered from overwhelming emotions to ones that he could put aside as idle thoughts, no doubt from how powerful she made them at the time, but there was always noise, always something. Now there was nothing. Like she was gone.

He whirled around, eyes passing over the area where she had walked away, scanning for a flash of her hair that he couldn't see. "Diana?" Bruce called, frowning, his heart pounding. He evened out his breathing, unwilling to show the panic beginning to form. Silence, emptiness - for being so light, he felt as though he would start to float away. It was overwhelming powerful, making him lightheaded, but he tried to force the feeling away and tried to think logically. Less like a man in love and more like the Batman. If she had tugged the piece back from him, that would explain why he felt nothing. Perhaps it had worked.

From around two hundred feet away, he caught movement and spun to face her, relief flooding him at the sight of her. He was still empty though, even as she walked closer, her pale face beginning to regain color and her pinched expression starting to relax. "Are you okay?" She asked as he studied her face intently for signs of pain, but like any good warrior, she knew how to hide her discomfort and fatigue. Just not from him.

"You didn't answer. What happened?" _You're gone still, what's going on?_ "Did it break?"

"It can't be broken, it can only be fixed," she repeated softly, crossing her arms. Then, because he looked annoyed, she continued with a grimace. "It was ignorable up to about 100 feet and started to get uncomfortable. Around 150 feet, it became painful, but still ignorable. 250 is where it became too difficult to move." Her tone started low, but she regained her composure by the end, annoyed by what she considered a pathetic distance.

He wondered at what point while she was walking away that the bond faded. Another observer would probably be necessary. "Tim might get his suffering cut a little sooner than before," he said slowly, the crease of his brows telling her that he was in deep thought. He paused in thinking to look at her. "Do you want to sit down for a minute?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine." When he didn't look convinced, she took his hand and squeezed it, both to emphasis her strength and because the skin-to-skin contact banished the lingering pain.

He went rigid at the contact, his entire frame freezing up as her emotions flooded back into him with the strength of a small tsunami, nearly taking his legs out from under him with the sheer intensity of each. Love, calm. Anger, fear. Strength, anxiety.

"Bruce?" She removed her hand, holding his tense, frozen face in her hands. The emotions increased, bringing pain as an icy knife tried to force its way out from beneath his skin and uncaring of the damage it inflicted, and he pulled himself from her grasp with a grunt, holding up a hand to pause her fearful advance, closing his eyes against the look of fear and hurt on her face.

Breathlessly, he said, taking in deep gasps of air. "Just… a second." He couldn't be convinced he wouldn't be sick or that he wouldn't, perhaps, fall over, using every ounce of determination to keep himself on his feet, to push the overwhelming emotions back to their normal place at the back of his mind. The twisting of his stomach faded without Diana's contact, but the memory of it still made him wince; he had been stabbed before, shot before, bit before, but each experience was pale in comparison to that.

It was another few minutes, one where he could feel Diana's anxiety skyrocketing without the overwhelming force from before, until he opened his eyes. Tentatively, he lifted a hand to her cheek, sighing with a relief that she echoed when everything seemed to feel the same as this morning. He drew her into his arm tightly, resting his cheek against her hair and breathing in her scent. She wound her arms around him, her grip strong but gentle, reminding him that she worried as much about him as he did about her.

"When you were gone, everything clicked off. I thought you broke it," he explained as she drew back just enough to look him in the eyes. "Especially when you came back and it didn't come flooding back." Like in the kitchen that first morning, he recalled, thinking of how he'd nearly been buckled there too. The difference between the two was the how. That morning, Diana had touched him and eased the overflow. Today, she touched him and the emotions assaulted him.

"Until I touched you," she said, figuring it out, trying to draw back from his embrace. He tightened his hold and though she could have broken from it easily, he knew that she didn't want to leave it either. Diana sighed, resting her cheek on his shoulder, face tilted upward so he could clearly hear her. "Bruce, I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to do about this."

Unfortunately, neither did he and that thought brought frustration. Not knowing something, but knowing there was something _to_ know was the type of situation that made Batman hate his mission. It was also a reason that he continued it, knowing few others would have the patience to push through.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We'll figure this out." Truthfully, he wasn't sure if they actually would, but Bruce wasn't going to settle until they explored every avenue and he had a feeling that a talk with Circe would be the ticket to finding answers. The problem was there was still no sign of her at any of her usual haunts and despite all the effort Zatanna put into looking for her, there was little chance of finding her if she didn't want to be found. He wasn't sure how long it would take to find her or if Gotham even had the time to wait.

She pulled from her embrace after a moment. "Should we try again?"

Though he didn't particularly want to go through the sensation of being dipped in boiling lava again, Bruce resigned himself to the fact that this was pretty much the only thing they could do. "Alright, try again."

For nearly three hours, they tried and though Diana had pushed the threshold of immovable pain from 250 feet to 265 feet, nothing eased the pain that Bruce felt whenever she came back again. Stubbornness kept him from calling the whole thing off, arguing that he could handle the pain whenever she voiced that they stop for the day, but he didn't think that was going to last much longer when she returned again and took his hand, her pale expression turning determined as his own began to wince in obvious pain.

She opened her mouth, he prepared himself for whatever scathing response she could make, when her comm-link went off. She lifted her hand to her ear, frowning. "Wonder Woman here. What do you need?" He couldn't make out, nor did he try, what the other person said, but when her blue eyes widened, flickering to him with barely concealed shock, he tapped his comm-link and Diana added him to the broadcast, asking. "What sword was it again?"

Superman's voice flooded his ears, confused by having to repeat himself. "The curator said it was what Theseus used to slay the minotaur. I don't know what use Luthor would have with it, but I know it was him."

"How do you know Luthor is involved?" Bruce asked gruffly, frowning.

"Because he was there when I went to stop the break in," he responded, sounding annoyed.

So Clark was actually there when the break in happened, but that left another question. Diana took care of it with a sigh. "How did he get away?"

"He disappeared a few minutes after I showed up."

Bruce scowled. "How did he disappear from someone with numerous different visions?"

Superman sounded vaguely insulted when he responded. "Because he didn't disappear as in escape from me. He disappeared as in vanished into thin air, taking the sword with him. I was hoping Diana would have some insight into the sword, give me an idea of what to expect from him if he went to such lengths to get it."

The conversation paused as Diana looked at him, eyebrows raised pointedly. He could read between the lines enough to know that she wanted him to tell Superman about the Joker and that if he didn't, she would, but respect had her offering him the chance to do so to choose which information would be divulged. He appreciated the thought, tempering his annoyance at somebody else having a say in Gotham's business.

"A few days ago, the Joker stole something from a museum in Gotham," he started when he heard Superman rustling uncomfortably in the background. "It was a key that Diana believed would unlock the labyrinth."

Superman didn't need to say he was confused for them to know he was. Diana cut in here. "The labyrinth is where Theseus slayed the minotaur. The fact that the Joker has the key to get into that place and Luthor has the weapon used to kill one means this might be a bigger situation than we think." She collected her thoughts before continuing on, words coming slowly and carefully. "After Theseus used the sword to slay a minotaur, Lady Athena blessed it to give the wielder the strength of whatever it slayed."

Bruce processed this for all of three seconds before something clicked together. "Call all the other founders to the Watchtower, we need to have a meeting," he ordered, cutting contact and muttering a swear. Diana said a more pleasant goodbye before she turned to him. He explained himself. "I think all of this might be connected."

* * *

Approximately ten minutes later, all the founders were sitting in a meeting room, two looking stony and the other five looking confused and worried about why they would need to have a meeting only a few days after having one. Bruce, in full Batman attire, started to speak. "Six days ago, Circe attacked Diana using a spell with a spell that could have killed her. Four days ago, there's a break in at Arkham as a distraction for the Joker steals a key that will unlock the labyrinth holding a minotaur. Earlier today, Luthor stole a sword used by to kill a minotaur."

John frowned. "So the Joker and Luthor are working together again."

"What's this have to do with Circe though?" Wally asked seriously. Bruce knew that he took Diana's near death harder than the rest of them and he also knew that the only thing Wally wanted to hear about Circe was that she was in custody.

"Even what I know about the key and the sword are based off of stories from my sisters, there's no way that the Joker and Luthor could know about it when there's no documentation of it in Man's World. We believe Circe is the reason they know about it and it would explain how Luthor vanished when Superman went to apprehend him, she would have used magic to get him away rather than risk his capture," Diana explained, sighing.

"But if the minotaur was already killed then what are we worried about? Maybe the three will get lost in the labyrinth," Wally said simply, a small smile playing on his lips at the thought. At their expressions, he backpedaled, "Don't get me wrong, I get that we should be worried about those three working together, but I can't see what they'll do."

Diana shook her head. "The minotaur is half-human and half-bull, born from a human mother and a bull created by Poseidon. Due to its ferocity and taste for human flesh, it was locked inside the labyrinth. The why is a long story, but King Minos would send seven males and seven females into the labyrinth for it. There's a belief that he wouldn't just eat the people sent inside and one of the minotaurs born from that is the one that Theseus killed. The fact that he had difficult slaying one that was three-quarters human convinced the Gods to lock the labyrinth away. To keep the original from ever escaping."

"You think they'll try to go against it? Why?" John asked, aghast.

"Desperation, perhaps. We don't know how much longer that Luthor has with his condition and the other two would have jumped at an opportunity to take down Batman and Diana," Superman replied slowly, trying to process all the information.

"The sword of Aegeus was blessed by Lady Athena to gain the strength of whatever it slayed. Luthor could be trying to kill the Minotaur for a last ditch effort to take us all out," Diana said seriously.

Batman cut in. "We don't know for sure. At this point though, we have to assume that they'll carry out the plan soon now that Superman knows Luthor is involved."

J'onn was the one to ask. "What do Circe and the Joker get from it?"

"Chaos," Diana and Batman chorused. Diana clarified her statement while Bruce made no intention of doing so when everyone knew enough about the Joker to already _know_ what he meant. "Circe should know that they don't have a chance against it. She might try anyway, but I believe that she knows it'll fail and is just hoping for the chaos a minotaur would inflict. I'm worried about why though, she's not a killer. If anything, I would classify her as something like a prankster."

"Whatever reason, she's going to have a lovely meeting with my mace soon," said Shayera with a sneer. At their expressions, she shrugged and defensively replied, "Look, she's going to keep messing with Diana unless we knock sense into her. I'm just volunteering before she tries to attach Princess to _me_ next. No offense, Diana, but we'd really get on each other's nerves. I'm surprised you and Batman haven't killed each other yet." There was a knowing to her eyes that Bruce didn't like one bit. _Damn detective_ , he thought, mildly impressed, but mainly annoyed.

"None taken," Diana replied kindly.

"We'll discuss Diana and Batman's living situation later," said Superman dismissively, _obliviously_. "How do we fight a minotaur?"

Diana sighed, lips twitching with her annoyance. "There's not a lot I know about minotaurs, unfortunately, so all I can offer is the little that my sisters speak of them. They are strong, fast, and their horns could go through the torso of a fully armored warrior with little effort." The way her emotions surged with worry told him exactly who she was thinking about, but, to her credit, she didn't look at him once.

* * *

 **A/N:** Only a few chapters left now. See? I told you guys I had a plot and some had such little faith in me! I keep forgetting to say this, but thank you to all my guest reviewers that I can't privately message, I do read each of them! Review please!


	10. Chapter 10: Interlude

A/N: So sorry for the long wait (I'm still addicted, and oops now I'm max level in my game...)! Thank you for the all kind reviews and extra thanks to **enter your desired username** for prodding me into writing (which means I invite everyone to prod me if I haven't posted the next chapter by the end of July)! This chapter is shorter and doesn't feature BM or WW, but I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Interlude**

In the belly of a cheery blue house, an individual paced a small room, his intelligent eyes narrowed as he watched a purple haired sorceress, looking quite unhappy. She skimmed through a book so old that it could crumble to dust if the pages weren't being moved by magic and didn't look up as he made a noise of impatience. The menace of a clown looked up from a series of monitors that showed a live preview of an idyllic city in the midst of their nightly routine. His wicked lips curled wide as he spotted the bald man.

The man tried to ignore the clown. The clown began to click his tongue, swiveling around in his chair. "Lex, Lex, Lex, you need to have a better flair for the dramatics! Nobody just starts immediately on a plan, they wait on it and make the other side… stew a bit."

"Superman has no doubt run to the rest of his friends and the last thing we need is the Batman or anybody else in the Justice League to sniff around," said Lex Luthor, pausing only to glower at the clown before resuming his pacing. "The only thing we have to be grateful for is that they won't connect your crime and my crime together. Even the Batman won't find a connection between a key and a sword of Greek origin, but that doesn't mean they won't try. We should act now, before they have a chance to replace Wonder Woman, while they are still raw with grief-"

Circe laughed angrily and her book vanished in a puff of smoke. "They had no more reason to grieve than they did to replace her. She's quite alive."

"No one has seen Wonder Woman in the public in days," Lex said carefully, shifting his attention from the amused clown to the witch whose beautiful face was drawn into a bitter frown. He didn't trust that her uncomfortable expression came from him studying her and his suspicion grew as did his voice as he spoke. "How long have you known?"

Circe raised her brow. "Don't presume to question me, Mortal. You should remember who gave you this information, who brought a portion of your conscious back from death and put it into a new body, and who can send it back just as easily." With him properly put in his place, his expression fearful even though he tried to smother it, she cleared her throat. "When I woke up in that cell, with that idiotic magician watching me, I could sense her pain and she was close to death. I left when it faded altogether - at the time, I assumed she was dead."

"But?" Lex prodded, gaining his usual arrogance once more.

"Now I realize it was her friends trying to save her, perhaps a numbing mechanism because I sensed it again. More than once. I assumed this was the lingering effects of using a spell involving the soul, very dangerous magic to be using," she said, thinking aloud, wondering how he had even gotten a hold of it. Lex glared, but the icy response he received had him blanking his expression. Circe continued. "But I believe Batman's interference when I cast it had more of an affect than I originally thought."

"That's how Batsy works, you must always assume he's involved somehow and plan accordingly," said the Joker knowingly, his laughter raising the hair on Circe's neck. She didn't enjoy his involvement, but she also knew that nobody was better at handling Gotham, at avoiding the Batman, than this creature. Likewise, nobody had the resources and knowledge of the Justice League than Lex Luthor.

She didn't trust the clown or the bald man, not even a little bit, but they were a means to an end and she rather thought it poetic that she would use an enemy of each trinity member in her end game.

"Yes, I should have seen this. Hanging around with mortals is making me as foolish as them," she said with a snort, rising gracefully to her feet while Lex glared harshly and the Joker laughed harder at her words. "With Diana alive, they'll connect the pieces quickly. Clown, how long until it's ready?"

"It was ready twenty minutes ago," he responded cheerfully, his arms crossed casually behind his head.

Circe didn't look surprised by his response, her pretty face alight with determination. On the other hand, Lex swallowed down a groan, passing a hand over his bald head to dampen the urge to strangle him. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Like I said, you always let them simmer for a little while!" From a pocket inside his purple jacket, he pulled out a black remote with only a single red button on it, his fingers caressing it gently, but he didn't press it. His crazed eyes looking between both of them, eagerness written across his face, savoring the chaos that would soon arrive. "Shall we?"

"Thirty minutes, Clown, then set them off. Luthor, bring the sword and follow me, we have a few friends to visit," Circe ordered, striding confidently from the room, stroking a chain around her neck as she went. With a wave her hand, they were both surrounded by a purple mist and she paid little attention to the swirling of her surroundings or the swaying of her bald accomplice as they disappeared from the basement and reappeared on a sandy beach. She stepped forward casually, Lex took a moment to collect himself before following her.

"Where are we?" He demanded, following her steps with speed unfitting of a man who had spent months trapped in nothingness. She admired the detail put into his new body, this one no longer falling apart as his old one had, and then turned her attention to the ocean's crashing waves and the blinding sunlight, wondering if it would be the last time she witnessed either.

When she couldn't ignore his fuming anymore, Circe offered a small, condescending smirk. "With all the time you spent on pitiful research, you can't even guess? Your admiration of the Justice League only went as far as the figurehead," she said dismissively, snapping her fingers and smiling as the sand began to sink beneath his feet. He tried futilely to pull out, sinking deeper with every movement; his face twisted with malice. Her smile widened and she stopped, leaving him knee deep.

She snagged the sword from him, her fingers tightening around the handle, ignoring the prickles of Athena's anger burning at her palms. "I'll be back, I still have some use for you, but they sense when men are on this island and I have business to attend to handle without them knowing of my presence." At least not yet, she amended in her head, walking away from him, growling a silencing spell under her breath when he began to shout at her back. He fell silent. She allowed herself to question whether that was a promise of the future or not.

* * *

Lex cursed once more under his breath. No sound escaped his lips, but that didn't change the venomous way in which he spoke the words, staring daggers at Circe's retreating back until the only thing he was staring as was swaying trees and a stone path as she disappeared from view. He struggled once more to escape, his legs beginning to feel like clay, until he finally gave up with a breathless gasp of phantom pain. It was a reminder of what he owed her for returning him to his body and freeing him from that cursed existence.

The Anti-Life Equation was beautiful, but it was oh so deadly and he had craved life once more after the months spent in nothingness, had prayed to any beings for a chance to escape. He hadn't expected an answer either, but then he was plucked from that existence and thrust into this one, with Circe smiling above him, offering her hand. It was easy to be manipulated by such a smile. She had guaranteed his alliance with false words and a binding contract as soon as he had taken her hand.

He considered the only good thing out of this to be the decent chance they had at defeating the Justice League. He didn't trust magic, but he didn't doubt the power it possessed; if the Minotaur was as strong as Circe claimed, he imagined it was worth it to suffer through her presence a little while longer, just until he could take the sword and kill the beast himself. That type of power in his hands and the witch would be fearing him, as she should have from the beginning.

That helped in stemming in his anger.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there like a pathetic child, but it was long enough that his skin felt chapped by the seawind before Circe arrived again, a look of glee on her face that had his stomach tightening with apprehension. "Well?" He asked, looking up at her with a glare.

"We're ready to begin, right on schedule too," she replied calmly, allowed the sand to shift away from him enough that he could climb to his feet normally. He made to take the sword from her, as he rightfully considered it his for all the trouble he went to get it, but she made a noise, turning the blade from him. "Ah, but I believe I best hold onto this for the time being. You'll get your chance."

Lex gritted his teeth. "Where's this door of yours then? You've already wasted some of the time you claim to be so valuable."

"The door isn't anything like in your realm, _where_ is not a concept that we have to worry about with that. The right time is a better way to put it and I know just the place to start." Attaching the sword to a holster on her side, she pulled her hair back away from her face, securing it at the back of her skull. In that moment, he realized she was dressed for battle and he felt wholly unprepared. She continued, uncaring to the fact that he wore casual clothes in comparison to her armor. "You do so love Metropolis, don't you?"

He paused, a strange sensation rising in his gut. He squashed it and snapped, "I thought the whole point of bringing the clown into this was because you needed to know Gotham."

"No one would bat an eyelash at Gotham burning to the ground. I may even be thanked for such a service! Get ready." The mist appeared against, surrounding them, but this time Lex was prepared for the sensation of being removed from existence in one place and arriving in another. He might have even called himself an expert at it now.

Still, he felt nauseated as he spotted the familiar buildings of Metropolis beneath the inky night sky. The knowledge that by the time their plan was over this city would be nothing brought a weird ache to head. He watched this city flicker, sometimes from his plans and sometimes not, but he had never witnessed it _die_ and now he played a direct hand in its destruction. He wasn't sure how to describe the emotion that such a thought brought up, but he didn't allow a tendril of it to show up on his face.

"Now what?" He asked dryly, looking at his watch impatiently. The clown would set off the bombs in twenty more minutes and he didn't really want to be waiting for the moon to hit the door just right when he did.

Circe turned her back to him, looking up at the night sky to judge the time and Lex got a decent look at her bare back, frowning at the criss-crossing of scars across it. Before he could ask where they came from, she was looking at him again, the glee in her eyes replaced with steely determination as she tucked something between her breasts. "Now, we get ready to fight, I imagine you'll need your suit, yes?"

She didn't wait for a response, but he felt the air around him shift and his casual clothes were replaced with the familiar purple and green metal of his battle gear. He hoped it worked better this time than any of the other times he used it. Giving him a once over, she nodded in satisfaction at his readiness, then pulled a large rusted key from thin air, holding it up to the moonlight. He thought it belonged to somewhere more medieval than Ancient Greek.

She began to chant in Greek, so swiftly he couldn't translate, and the air around her glowed in reds and purples like flames. Her voice grey louder, a roar began to echo in his ears and he chanced up and down the empty street for anybody to appear, drawn by the noise of a dying animal. Nobody did, he didn't have time to question why when Circe's words ended with a scream.

Her hand began to shake. He didn't dare move a muscle, even when it began to shake more, the key threatening to fall from her grip, the magic around her beginning to quiver and shake. Seconds before he was about to stop this, positive that she would kill both of them, the magic shot up in the air in a brilliant array of light and he waited for the door to appear. And waited as the light began to fade the higher it went. And waited as the light sizzled out completely.

He stared in shock. She panted for air.

"That was a waste of-" He started, but the words no sooner began to leave his lips than the road in front of her began to shift, the street beneath his feet rumbling and shaking like that of a large earthquake. The asphalt began to crack, breaking and shattering in front of Circe. Lex, for half a second, felt real fear trickle down his spine as it settled as a gaping, dark hole in the ground. It wasn't the doorway he was expecting, it looked little more than a sinkhole. He didn't need to read the triumph on Circe's face to know this was the place; this was no ordinary sinkhole, the air around it seemed heavier, ominous. One didn't just walk into this sinkhole.

"Magic takes time," she said, still recovering from her use of magic, her words coming out between tiny gasps, her fingers curled tightly around the key. She stepped closer to the entrance, but as she began to climb over the edge, preparing to drop in a way that suggested she had no idea the distance she would actually fall, a loud roar tore through the silence of the night. He clapped his hands to his ears, wincing at the sound and Circe stood frozen, her expression pained until the sound began to fade.

He knew a warning when he heard one.

"Ladies first," he said dryly, feeling far safer in his metal suit than she would in such armor.

She sneered at him, sitting on the edge of the entrance, but threw herself forward into the darkness anyway. He waited just long enough to hear her feet land on the ground before following her into the darkness, his heart pumping madly in his chest.

* * *

His disdain for this tiny, unassuming house began roughly two minutes after entering it, but in show of courtesy for his two partners, one who was apparently an immortal witch and another who was supposed to be dead but was now apparently a zombie, he hadn't shown it. At least not too much, just a sneer here about the decor being all wrong and a laugh there at choosing such a picturesque house for their evil plot. Nothing too outrageous, he was saving everything up for the big show down, somewhat disappointed that he wasn't the first act, but at least he was part of the last one!

Joker chanced a glance at the clock, showing only seven minutes after the purple haired one and the hairless one had left, and let out a long, exaggerated sigh. Harley would have come running in the room if she wasn't in Arkham; he would have to make an attempt to get her out, she did come in handy. Every once in a while. Sometimes. At least she could be entertaining, better than sitting on a couch watching the wallpaper fade.

It was ugly wallpaper too, something that would look better in tiny, ripped up pieces on the floor than smiling at him. Or glaring at him, but that was reading too much into his mental comparison of the Batman's ideology and wallpaper that went bad before he was born.

He stood from the couch and peeked at the monitors, his lips twitching at the future of all those happy people and how Batman would be incapable to save them. Maybe this would be enough to finally push him over the edge, to break the denial he tried to stay in. He had hoped the woman would do it, but he didn't expect Bats to mourn in the loss of a teammate anyway. Not when he didn't bat an eyelash at what he did to the previous Robin or to Batgirl. So close and yet so far, he thought sadly.

Another glance at the lock, another sneer at the knowledge that there were seven minutes left, and another thought of ignoring the plan of his new toys in favor of his own crossed his mind. Not that he expected their loyalty when things started to really get fun. He didn't trust this new Lex Luthor, he much enjoyed the old one and his calm acceptance of death. Calmish. Close enough, really, he didn't deny the inevitable, he enjoyed those people the most. This one though? He didn't trust him and he didn't trust the witch either for bringing him back although he thought it impressive that her magic could do just that.

Maybe he should begin looking into being a magician rather than a clown. Or perhaps he could be both.

That wasn't the question though. Did he trust their plan? His eyes moved to the clock, he had two five minutes to decide. The witch was adamant about thirty minutes exactly, if he wanted to screw up her plans, it would start with here and it would with now.

The detonator taunted him; he wasn't one to back down from a challenge like that.

The way he hit the button wasn't exaggerated; it wasn't slow and dramatic as he did most things nor swift and shocking as he did everything else. It was just a pressed button, but the way he laughed at screams and explosions that came from the happy town more than made up for any lack of dramatics. His laugh would raise the hair on the back of a sane man's neck, it would have shocked a crying child into silence, and it would have made Circe regret her decision to involve the Joker in any plot of hers.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** When I said end of July, I was hoping to be exaggerating and that I would post within a few days since I had most of this chapter thought out and written. Hit a few bumps getting from Point A to Point B, the pains of not planning and writing more in advance, but here we are! The rest of this fanfiction is coming with a **_character death_** warning, even if no such death occurs in this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

Though the explosions had stopped a good five to ten minutes ago, there were still scattered screams as buildings wobbled and collapsed under the strain of their own weight. It was impossible to see the stars or the moon, a thick haze of smoke obscuring vision in nearly all directions. This made recovery difficult even for the best of heroes, but to Wally, this was a minor discomfort and he did his best to clear the smoke for other people to go in and begin the rescues.

Except that not only had the bombs collapsed buildings, they had started actual fires that Wally couldn't possibly put out, save people from the wreckage of Central City as it threatened to collapse on their heads, and clear the smoke for other people to begin clean up. He was nearly as protective of his city as Batman was of Gotham- except for the fact that he gladly accepted help and, okay, his protectiveness wasn't quite to that level of possessiveness - but he could have wept actual tears when there was a flash of light that deposited down fellow heroes, including the Big Three as the rest of the Justice League called them. Ice and Fire began work immediately with Stargirl while the Big Three went to their fellow founder.

"Bats, you need to see this," Wally said, fishing a bloodied playing card out of seemingly nowhere and passing it over to his stoic co-worker. Bruce took the card from him, a flicker of expectation across his normally unreadable face as he examined it while Diana and Clark watched with growing apprehension. "The police found it attached to a broken bomb at the police station a few minutes ago, I dunno about you guys, but I can't make sense of this whole thing. I get attacking Metropolis or Gotham… or wherever Wondy spends her time these days, but why would the Joker attack here?"

Diana replied immediately. "They want us out of the way, they must be starting their plan soon and want to keep us occupied with this."

"They are doing a good job too, we can't just leave this situation, the buildings could collapse at any moment," Wally pointed out, worry clouding his normally arrogant expression. Diana couldn't help noticing that he shifted his weight with the anxious need to join the battle, to try and rescue his city rather than standing around talking about it. She turned to Bruce, easily containing the swell of emotion forming in her breast when faced with the chaos around her. "Is he still here?"

"If he is, we're not likely to find him before the distraction is over," Bruce said gruffly, tucking the card away into his utility belt for later analysis.

"Surely they haven't forgotten that the rest of the league will help cover our tracks? Even when their protector's aren't there, Gotham and Metropolis will always have heroes watching over them," she said, trying to make sense of the situation. Clark was strangely silent beside her, but at her words, he shot up into the air, the force of which sent her hair flying in her face, and fled the scene. Bewildered, she could only stare after him and then, when he faded from sight, switch her attention to the other two.

"Flash, see what you can do here. Work on fires otherwise you'll never be able to clear this smoke long enough to get people into those buildings, stop to rescue if necessary, but containment on the fires is your priority," Bruce ordered. "When Superman gets back, he'll take over."

Flash nodded, leaving with a speed similar to Clark's departure, clearly pleased to be doing something, but he had only been gone for a few seconds before Diana's commlink beeped. Her hand went to her ear, looking puzzled at being called when she was in the middle of a mission already. "Wonder Woman," she answered anyway.

"Diana!" Clark yelled, only to grunt and fall silent. There was no response for a long moment, but before she could call the Watchtower for a site-to-site transfer, he began again. "I need you and Batman in Metropolis, I found Circe and-" Whatever he said next was lost to the explosion that nearly knocked her off her feet. Floating above the ground with a firm grip around Bruce's waist, Diana squinted through the smoke, cursing in Greek when her eyes began to water. She paused to rub them viciously, finally able to see through the brown-black haze to find… nothing.

No collapsing buildings, no growing flames, and no screaming. The world had gone quiet; the crackle of flames, the cries for help, the ominous creaking of a building on its last leg… all silenced. Fear creeping up her spine, Diana tilted her head one way and then another until Bruce's hand shot past her face, pointing in a direction that she had just passed. "There," he murmured to her, his voice very close to her face. She set him back down on his feet again, following his look.

First, she spotted the crater where the street used to be, so deep that even when she floated up to get a better view, she could see nothing except inky darkness. Then, she noticed the figure pulling itself out the hole, head bent towards the moon as though seeing it for the first time.

It was nothing she imagined a minotaur to look like. It was shaped like a human, a very large one twice her size at least, with the same eyes, nose, and mouth that she would see on any other person, but that's where the similarities ended. She wouldn't have thought it a beast if it didn't have a pair of very large, nearly disproportionate horns coming from the tangled dark hair. Then it turned to face her, sensing their movement, and she knew there was _nothing_ human about it except its shape. Not with those cold, empty eyes or the way its jaw twitched to reveal jagged teeth, but there was no doubt when it began to lean backwards, mouth open wide, and roared.

Her ears rang. She winced, holding her head until the roar and then the ache faded. The creature didn't make further movement though she knew it was watching them. Beside her, Bruce was silent, but she knew that behind his cowl, his eyes were flickering over every piece of the scene, a batarang appearing in his fist. "Superman found Circe in Metropolis," she murmured to him, her eyes not wavering from the beast.

She was grateful that she hadn't when, one moment, she was staring down the monster, and the next she was throwing herself and Bruce out of its path as it charged, head bent with deadly intent. It snarled, stamping a foot - a hoof, she realized. She fought the urge to snarl back as she let go of Bruce.

A second later, his hand went to his cowl. "Superman, status." No response, he growled under his breath and tried again. "Superman." There was no response again, but they were distracted by the arrival of their ally as a blur of red shot past them, where Flash delivered a hard blow to the beast's stomach.

It made a noise in response, swiping at the spot it last saw him and missing. "Wow, does this thing have abs of steel or what?" Flash shook his tender hand, a scowl on his face. "C'mon ugly, I have other things to do than dance!"

The beast roared again and Flash backed up, preparing to launch another attack. "Wait, Flash!" Diana shouted, noticing the way the minotaur shifted its weight, horns tilted away from them. It was only a small movement, one where it left an opening for a clear shot at the beast's bare chest, but she had seen it move, knew that it could twist and impale Flash before any of them could realize it.

Too late, Flash was already moving, zigzagging to gain speed and momentum. She saw the batarang shooting from Bruce's wrist, aiming not for the beast's chest, but straight for its eyes. Blood squirted and the beast grunted, distracted by the movement enough that it didn't react in time when Flash hit it. It stumbled back once then more when Flash continued to hit, but then centered itself and instead of trying to hit, it grabbed one of Flash's wrists, lifting him from his feet with a snarl.

In slow motion, she watched the beast throw him up into the air, saw the way that Flash scrambled to move away as he shot up until gravity began to do its job and pull him down. She reacted instinctively. She slammed into the beast, knocking it and the horns away, spinning just in time to catch her fallen ally before he could meet his death. "Thanks, Wondy," Flash said, his face flushed from the fall.

"Don't thank me yet," she said, shooting up into the sky when she felt the air behind her begin to shift, the minotaur's horns grazing the bottom of her boots. "We still have to knock that thing down."

"Your hit did some damage. Just punch until its unconscious?" He suggested weakly, rubbing his right fist and she noticed then that it was swollen, nearly twice the size of his left. She didn't want to admit that her fists felt as bad as his looked while the beast didn't look fazed at all from her swinging as hard as she could. "Uh, Wondy, I think you should fly away, its getting mad," he pointed out, shaking her from her thoughts.

She looked down where, many feet below them, the beast walked in tight circles, looking up at them. Every so often, it shook its head and snorted. "We don't run from battle," she reminded him, frowning.

"Let's call this a regrouping. Besides, when that thing gets sick of waiting for us to come down, whose it going after next?" He countered with a pointed look at their ally, whose glare had only shifted from the minotaur to glance briefly at them, ensuring their safety. He was shrouded the shadows behind a car and she noticed his hands in his utility belt, but couldn't figure out what he was pulling out.

"Fine," she replied, annoyed.

Diana switched holds, gently holding Flash by his elbows as she floated to the floor. The beast began a slow, intimdating walk towards them and Diana knew there was no way they would both be able to head towards their ally. Not without injury, at least. "When I drop you, run. I'll distract it." She didn't give him time to react before she let go of him, spinning around to launch a foot at the beast's horns before they could pierce the skin of her back.

The beast howled at the move, a hand lifted to its horn tenderly, and Diana took that moment to float away, closer to her allies. When it began to move forward again, she lifted her tiara and flung it, hitting the horn where it met his skull; it rebounded back to her as designed and she caught it, placing it on her head and used the precious seconds of distraction to float over to Batman and Flash. They were out of its sight, but she didn't know how long until it decided to follow its nose or creep off to find another unfortunate soul. Either way promised a confrontation and soon.

"We need to get the sword from Circe," she said quietly, sighing. "Just chopping off one of its horns might be enough to scare it away, but we aren't doing much damage otherwise."

"So there's nothing we can do?!" Flash shouted incredulously, lowering his voice to a whisper when the minotaur snorted. "We can't sit here and wait for Superman. I can't keep this thing busy and check for any more bombs; I'm fast, but not _that_ -"

Diana pushed both of them out of the way just as the car they were crouched behind was lifted into the air. The beast snarled at them, shaking the car from its horns. Flash exclaimed, annoyed, as he sped out of the cars path. "Oh, come on, there is no way it heard that! I was being quiet!" Bruce shot his grapple at a nearby roof and lifted away, dropping a pair of smoke bombs at his feet as Diana lifted into the air beside him.

"Flash, how long do you think you can distract this thing?" Bruce asked into his commlink as Diana crouched on the rooftop next to him.

"A little while if it likes irritating red things," he replied with a weak attempt at a cheerful chuckle.

She could hear the tiredness in his voice and apparently so could Bruce, his scowl growing more prominent even in the darkness. "And with help?"

Flash was quiet for a moment. "Long enough for you guys to get the sword thingy," he said very slowly, his voice taking on a quality that suggested he knew what would happen next and was resigned to it. Another silent moment then, with determination that reminded Diana why she admired Flash, he said, "I'll try to hold out as long as I can, don't spend time twiddling your thumbs though! Flash out."

Diana and Bruce shared a brief look that ended when Flash appeared next to them. "Watchtower, I need back up in Central City. Animal Control isn't offering much help with my animal problem," said Flash with a small grin. He listened patiently for a while and though Diana couldn't hear what the response was, she could see the way Flash's smile fell. "Alright, we'll handle it here, be on standby if the situation worsens, we might have to call in people from vacation. - There's been three more attacks of these things, there's not enough manpower to call in anyone else," he explained to them after cutting the connection, looking solemn.

"Fire, Ice, and Stargirl are still in the city. Bring one of them over to help with the situation? Fire and Ice would probably do good against this." Diana suggested. "It's been enough time that the bombs are probably done."

"But if this was a distraction, they might have set them to go off every few minutes," Bruce said gruffly. "Instruct the police to look in areas that haven't seen explosions, most likely that's where he set them up. The furthest from responders too, he would want to send them on a chase around the town."

"Got it. Go end this, I don't really want to become a shish kabob." With that, he sped away and distantly, Diana could hear him shouting insults at the Minotaur.

Diana put her hand to her commlink once she heard the scuffle that said the beast was distracted. "I need a site-to-site transfer for Batman and I to Superman's last known location."

"Roger that, Wonder Woman. Transporting in 3, 2, 1…" They stood back to back as light surrounded them, unsure of what they would find. Diana heard the minotaur's roar just before everything around them faded, smoky and falling apart Central City replaced with Metropolis. A very calm and serene Metropolis, a near exact opposite of the chaos in Central City.

It wasn't the place she expected an epic battle about to take place. For a moment, she didn't think it was Metropolis, but then she spotted the Daily Planet in her peripheral vision and knew without a doubt that they were in the right place. Though they stood on the sidewalk beside two ordinary buildings and beneath bright city lights, she couldn't hear anything that suggested this was the home for eleven million people. There was just an eerie silence.

She shifted on her feet, casting an anxious glance around for Superman, but couldn't spot even a piece of fabric to indicate where he was. "Batman, where..." Her question ended as she spotted movement in the alley opposite of them, a shadow that darted from behind some bins to the street edge, stumbling over the uneven concrete.

It was Circe - and she looked terrible. Her normally proud face was pale, bruised, and pinched with pain; beneath her knotted, messy hair, Diana could see the jagged, bloodied wound between her breasts. Like someone didn't know how to avoid the bones and organs to go through and through. Diana didn't have to do anything to win this battle, the wind looked as though it could end it for her. "Great Hera," she murmured, moving closer to her, her stomach tightening with apprehension.

 _This could be a trap_ , she thought, but if it was, it was a well done one. Bruce caught her elbow. If he told her to let him handle it, she didn't know what she would do. Thankfully, she didn't need to think too hard about it. "Careful," he warned. "Wounded or not, she's still powerful."

She smiled. "I know." She didn't need to tell him to watch her back and the scene, Diana knew he would do it without being told. Her heels clicked against the concrete and then the asphalt as she crossed the road, not needing to look either way before crossing when it seemed the entire city had gone to sleep, but the noise drew Circe's gaze.

Once more, Diana was reminded of her costume and its inability to hide; she stood out against the darkness, but after the time she spent in Gotham, particularly the brief time that she had gone with Bruce to Arkham Asylum, she knew this was fitting. Wonder Woman didn't need to hide and this thought made her move quicker; Circe scrambled back, but cried out in pain. "Stay back," she warned, teeth clenched.

Slowing, Diana held her hands up, trying to appear non-threatening. She crept closer, but stopped a good foot away when Circe began to lean away from her as though frightened. "Circe, what… happened?"

The witch snorted. "I should have figured that he would want it for himself." For a moment, Diana thought she was talking about the Joker, the most likely one to betray someone in this trio's alliance. "But I should have expected the clown to mess up the plan too and I didn't. Goddess, when did mortals stop fearing the wrath of magic? Even that one doesn't fear me," she sneered, looking from Diana's open blue eyes to Bruce's unreadable stare as he approached the two of them.

So the plan had fallen apart. Diana thought this was worse, at the very least she could begin to anticipate what the three would do together, but she didn't know what the Joker would do or what Lex Luthor would do apart. _Where's Luthor_ was on the tip of her tongue, but she found herself asking instead, "Will you be okay?"

Circe blinked slowly. "Of course, I'm not done yet. A mortal weapon won't kill me, blessed by Athena or not."

"Blessed by-? You mean he stabbed you with the sword?" Diana demanded, aghast. If she died, Luthor would be in possession of a lot of magic and she didn't doubt that he would use it for evil. Quickly, she kneeled down beside her, satisfied that Bruce had an eye on the alley.

"Obviously. You think something else did this?" Diana thought she was displaying a lot of attitude for someone bleeding as much as her. "At the very least, my work won't be for nothing."

Bruce asked before she could. "What are you talking about?"

She smirked, a trickle of blood escaped her lips. Diana couldn't help noticing how pale she was, they needed to stop the bleeding and she held an expectant hand out to Bruce. "You have something in that utility belt of yours we can use? She needs medical attention."

"I won't go… to a hospital," Circe complained as Bruce opened up a pocket in the back and passed gauze to her. She leaned forward, Circe leaned away, but Diana pressed forward with a steely glare, pressing against the wound gently. Not that gentle helped. Circe hissed, slapping her hand away and replacing it with her own. "I don't need your help."

"No and I shouldn't be offering help to someone who tried to kill me either," Diana responded coldly, getting to her feet. Circe's words had reminded her of all the trouble the witch had caused her and Bruce in the past week and a half, bringing anger to the forefront of her mind and it took all of Diana's patience to push it away, to think logically. They had a job to do, she couldn't waste the time that Wally was bringing them by interrogating her on something else or to tend to her injuries. "Where's Luthor?"

As though summoned by her question, Diana heard yelling from behind her. A figure dropped down from the sky, creating a crater from his landing, but Diana wasn't focused on that, she was focused on his tattered costume, the large S on his chest shredded, and the large bruise - bruise! - decorating his left cheek. "Great Hera," she said, echoing her earlier statement. "What happened to you?"

"No time," Superman responded, ripping the remains of his cape off, his gaze fixated on something down the road. Without looking away, he asked, beginning to float. "Is Luthor back yet?"

"No," Circe responded, gritting her teeth. "Would you guys go away? You're going to bring that… thing to us."

"You let it out?" Diana hissed, pressing a palm against her eye, figuring out what had done damage to Superman. "I thought you would fight it in the Labyrinth, not bring it here!"

Circe scoffed, leaning her head back against the building. "That was the plan! Things didn't work out that way, that idiot stabbed me as soon as we were in the labyrinth and then left. It smelled my blood... it followed me out... before... before," she said, her words beginning to slur together. Her eyes closed and then opened, then closed again as she finished her thought. "Before Luthor... could find... it." She fell silent, eyes closed, so still that she could have been dead.

"Circe?"

Still no response and Diana thought that she actually was dead. Bruce stepped forward, pressing two gloved fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse. After a moment, he said, "She's just unconscious, cover her wound in the back too, there's not much else we can do. Superman, status."

Superman held up a hand, looking down the street warily. Whatever he was looking at, too far away for Diana to see even if she squinted, seemed to satisfy him. "When you mentioned the whole people watching over Metropolis, I just wanted to check on it, but when I got here I heard Luthor's voice. By the time I got here, I saw Circe crawling away from there," he pointed down the street, where Diana could just make out another hole in the ground, similar to the one from Central City except that it was wider. "And that thing followed her. I moved her here, out of sight, that thing attacked me when I turned my back. You can guess the rest."

"So Luthor didn't come out?" Bruce asked. Diana could hear the wheels turning in his mind.

"No," he replied, frustrated.

Diana began to search Circe for the key. "She doesn't have the key either so we can't just shut the door and lock it in again. Not that it would work without another magic user or Circe awake to do something about it," she said, blowing out an exasperated breath. "We need to do something, Flash is already fighting- What was that?"

Superman wasn't looking at them anymore. "It must have sniffed us out, I was hoping that hitting it hard enough on the nose would keep it from finding us." He began to fly up, but Bruce took his elbow and though they both knew that Superman could break free easily, he stopped and settled on the floor again.

"I'm going in there to find Luthor," Bruce said, jutting his chin towards the hole, his expression determined. Diana nearly began to agree until he spoke again. "Diana, stay here and help Superman contain that thing. Don't let it leave the area, it looks like this place is deserted, best place to have it for the time being."

"There was a fire nearby, most of the people were evacuated yesterday, they haven't begun to move in yet," Superman explained.

She bristled, filing Superman's words away to focus on a more pressing matter. "Excuse me? I'm not leaving you to go wander around in that maze when any more of its offspring could come out." Never mind the fact that he could get lost in there as so many others did; she tried not to think of that one too much, knowing that Bruce could solve it.

Bruce stepped closer, his voice low and Superman turned away to give them privacy. Even if he could still hear every word they said. "I'll be able to avoid most of them, they've probably all left already. It's more than just containing that thing, you've got to make sure this one doesn't make a run for it either. If she leaves and dies somewhere, that's it, it'll probably take us months to figure out how to break this."

Though his words made sense, Diana couldn't help feeling frustrated. Someone should watch Circe and someone did need to contain that thing, Superman couldn't do both, but it didn't seem right to let Bruce go in by himself. Someone needed to watch his back; _she_ needed to watch his back. She studied him, preparing an argument, until she saw his lips twist and it occurred to her that this was one of the reasons that relationships weren't allowed for in the league.

It was a confliction of duty. A confliction of whether she should stay with the person she loved, keep them safe, or do her job as Wonder Woman, knowing that this risk he wanted to take that came with his job as much as it came with hers. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be a test, but Diana couldn't help thinking that it was; the only way to tell if things would work out, that they could both do their jobs without their relationship getting in the way.

She swallowed down her emotions and centered herself. It was time to do their jobs. "Okay, you're right, this is the only way to do this." He began to turn away, but she stopped him, a gentle hand on his chest. "But, damn it, Batman, you better come back in one piece, there's a lot of people who want you." Herself included, but she thought of the rest of his family as well.

He didn't smile. It would have been out of place when he was in Batman mode. She could read every twitch of his jaw and lips though, she knew that he wanted to smile, to reassure her, but couldn't offer anything more than a nod. It was enough, she didn't always need words.

When he disappeared from sight, blending into the shadows that had been his companion for so long, Diana turned to find that Superman had disappeared. She tilted her head, listening; she could hear the whoosh of air as he flew and then an earsplitting crash as two large beings collided against each other. There wasn't anymore time to delay, they had already wasted precious minutes talking.

She cast a look at Circe, still unconscious. "You won't get away this time," she told her anyway, removing the lasso from her hip and tying her up tightly, both to put pressure on her wound and to keep her from getting away. "I'll be watching out for you, you don't have to worry about death at someone else's hands."

Satisfied with her knot work, Diana took to the air.

* * *

 **A/N:** About two chapters left (three at the most if I decide to do an epilogue). Thank you everyone for reviewing, even if I didn't reply to them; they all brought a smile to my face! I put a poll up so people can vote for what story I should do next (story summaries to give you an idea of what each of them are) so please check that out! See you all soon, start yelling at met to update if I haven't by next week!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Wow, can you believe we're almost done? Only one more chapter left! Reminder that the rest of the story contains a _**character death**_ warning, but here's a spoiler to ease your minds: I'm a sucker for happy endings.

* * *

 **Chapter Tw** **elve**

She only got so far away from Circe, towards the sound of Superman and the minotaur that she dubbed Carl in her head, before the oddest sensation crept over her like cold fingers across the back of her neck. She shivered, unsure of what to make of it, but continued flying, ignoring the steadily increasing feeling. It was, she thought, similar yet different from the feeling of being far from Bruce; a slight ache, but a sharpness more akin to leaving a warm bed on a cold morning.

The bond, she realized, frowning, wondering whether Bruce had reached the labyrinth or not until a pained shout reached her ears. Superman, she thought, flying faster to one of her best friends, flying around a building to spot him in the minotaur's clutches, its hands wrapped around his throat. Her hand went to her lasso instinctively, closing around empty air. She whipped off her tiara instead, taking aim and flinging it with all her strength; it was a flash of gold in the darkness, a swish of air that made the minotaur- Carl- twitch, nostrils flaring as it lashed a fist out, battering the tiara away.

She watched it fling through a window with some satisfaction as Superman broke away from the beast, his lips curled in a rather uncharacteristic way that told her he was frustrated. Maybe because this was his city that the beast stomped through, that any moment a citizen could stumble upon it and he wouldn't be fast enough to save them.

There was a look of apprehension on his face; this was, she knew, more difficult than fighting a normal villain. This was something that thought like an animal, but looked like one of them. She even gave it a name, one that might have exist purely in her head but still existed nonetheless. Rabid animals were put down, she knew that much about Man's World, but this wasn't the same, was it?

Shaking off her dilemma, Diana floated down beside Superman. "It's fast, but we're fast too," he said, using his heat vision on the floor around its feet. Carl stepped back, his dark eyes staring in confusion at the crackling floor. "You come from above, I'll come from below, we'll try to get it trapped. Do you have your lasso?"

"Circe," she explained grimly.

"Right, guess we can't use that then. Change of plans, its skeletal structure isn't that much difference from a normal human's, I imagine if we hit it hard enough, we can knock it out," he said hopefully, blinking his vision back to normal. "Count to three then drop." Simultaneously, the two disappeared; Superman went down, drilling a hole into through asphalt like it was little more than butter while Diana flew up in the air, pushing herself faster, counting to five as she did so.

Three. She could hear Carl barely, the crunch of glass beneath his feet as he sniffed at the hole that Superman left behind.

Two. She couldn't hear him anymore, just the whistle of the wind in her ears.

Three. She stopped flying. There wasn't an easy way to describe the different sensations, to go from floating to feeling the crushing weight of gravity pressing on her, forcing her down towards Earth feet first. She had to fight the instinct to catch herself, but she didn't, not even as the skyscrapers zoomed past her eyes, not even as Carl came closer, head tilted down still.

At least she wouldn't be impaling herself on his horns on accident, she thought that would be a sorry way to die.

The combined attack from above and below stunned the minotaur enough that Superman managed to wrangle it to the floor, holding his arms backs and pressing a knee into his back to hold him down. "Diana," he said, grunting and pulling the minotaur's arms back farther, bringing a muffled growl from Carl.

She was already moving, her leg lifting down and slamming into the minotaur's skull. There was a sound like a moan, mixing with Diana's grunt at the sharp pain shooting up her ankle, before silence. Superman didn't move as Diana crouched, tapping the minotaur's head for a response, but getting nothing. "We did it," she said with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, we did for now, but is it going to wake up soon?" Superman asked curiously, dropping the minotaurs arms and getting to his feet, brushing dirt off his knees.

"I don't think so, but better safe than sorry." She crouched beside the minotaur, holding its horns while Superman picked the rest of its limp body up. Carefully, they began to fly and although the distance between them and Circe was little more than a second fly normally, it was a little more difficult when they were carrying a body. Definitely an experience she didn't want to repeat. Finally, she spotted the alley that marked where Circe was left. "There!"

"I got him now, just go make sure Circe is there," he ordered, shifting to hold the majority of the minotaur in one arm and angling the horns from his neck with the other. Briefly, she questioned why he hadn't just done that to begin with, but shrugged it off, going ahead of him.

She dropped soundlessly into the dingy alley, immediately assaulted by every foul stench she had apparently overlooked before, but the smell was quickly forgotten as she began to look behind bins and beneath pieces of cardboard. Superman arrived, depositing the minotaur on the floor cautiously, as Diana came to the startling conclusion that Circe was gone.

* * *

Bruce had cursed when he first lowered himself into the cave, taking a second to gain his bearings and jam a small black object into a nearby wall by the entrance.

This wasn't anything like his own cave beneath Wayne Manor, which he could navigate blindfolded and legless with ease, but he couldn't really have expected it to be either. This… wasn't natural, he knew it as soon as his feet hit the rocked floor and he retracted his grapple. It was too… perfect to be anything else; so it was man made or, considering what they were dealing with, creature made. Or magic made. All three options were pretty terrible, in his opinion.

At least he didn't have to crouch, Bruce figured the main tunnel could fit a small army. The is either really big or there's a lot of them, he had realized as the cavern walls continued to grow bigger the deeper he went until he stopped between two different tunnels and decided to go right.

He cursed again when he hit another dead end. These caves were like labyrinths themselves and although he had the advantage of being able to tell which direction Luthor went, he didn't know when he went there. He backtracked again, following his own footprints and the faint impression where Luthor had stood for a second, no doubt thinking of his next move. Bruce wanted to catch him and soon preferably. With his luck, someone would close the doors and leave him locked in here forever.

While he walked, he debate whether that might have been a plan, but even he knew it was a stupid one. Bruce had no doubts that he was an important member of the league, there were just some things that he could do that the rest of his co-workers couldn't, but in this type of battle, he thought it would have been smarter to lock someone with Diana or Clark's level of strength in here. Luthor was also in here and he wasn't self-sacrificing enough to lock himself up. Then again, the rest of his team wouldn't give a damn about leaving an ally in here for decades.

The Joker wasn't magical and Circe was currently incapacitated though-

He stopped at the fork again. Left didn't work, which meant Luthor was to the right or down the middle path. His body heard it before his mind processed it, his feet already moving him into the shadows, the rest of him trying to figure out the sudden tension in the air. Then he heard it, a great rumbling growl that grew louder and louder until a hulking figure walked into the cave. How didn't I hear it before? But he knew how when it began to move again, the footsteps eerily silent for belonging to something so large. Without a doubt, this was the one.

Whereas the minotaur he had left Diana and Superman to was humanoid with only horns to suggest it wasn't normal, this thing was nearly entirely beast except for the very human legs beneath its upper body. He estimated that it was three times as tall as him.

Despite the lack of lights, it knew where it was going, its great nose sniffing down the tunnel Bruce had started in, the one that Bruce knew would lead to the exit. While his gut clenched at the idea of leaving Diana and Clark to handle it, he knew that he didn't have much of a choice. The sword would help them more than anything and finding Luthor would too, if only to get some answers that Circe hadn't given.

He waited until the only breathing he heard was his own and then waited for a few seconds after that before he began to move again, picking the pathway the right path. He hadn't spotted any blood on it so that meant it hadn't run into Luthor down there and the other way was a dead end, he figured this must have been the way. There was no other direction to go.

He reached for his comm-link, but dropped his hand when he spotted a glow from further down, growing larger as the seconds passed before it flickered and went out. Like a flashlight dying. Switching his own light off, he stepped out of the way and his eyes narrowed as they adjusted to the lack of light. Luthor must have hit a dead end as well. He didn't know that Batman was in here. Bruce had the advantage now.

This part was entirely muscle memory, waiting for Luthor to get past him just enough that he wouldn't have time to react and perhaps swing a robotic arm at him in that battlesuit of his. Closer, closer, Bruce could see the color of his suit now and then Luthor walked passed him; Bruce grabbed a batarang and threw it with a flick of his wrist. It slammed into the back of Luthor's neck, right where the protective covering over his face met the rest of his suit.

Luthor spluttered in surprise and fear, pulling the batarang out of his neck and staring at it with squinting, beady eyes and widened when he recognized it. "Batman," he voiced, lifting his head just in time to notice the wires tangling around his legs.

He fell forward on his face and Bruce pushed him over onto his back. "Luthor," he said simply. "You've gotten yourself mixed into something you shouldn't have, didn't you?"

Instead of launching into a tirade about meddling superheroes and their alien companions, Luthor lifted a hand, almost as though he was surrendering. Bruce's brow furrowed, still standing over him tensely, disbelieving of his motives. Luthor didn't surrender; it just wasn't in his blood to do anything like that. "I saved the world once, surely that gives me the ability to talk," he sneered, dropping his hand when Bruce didn't say anything. Ah, that was the Luthor he knew.

Bruce didn't step back, but he also didn't attack either and Luthor took that as a good enough sign. Sitting up and trying to wiggle backwards against the cavern wall, Luthor began, "I am not a man of magic. We have that much in common, Batman, but you're more tolerable than I and being brought back to life is something people would kill for, myself being one of them. But I won't be a slave to magic, I'd rather be dead than at someone else's whim."

"That's why you betrayed Circe," he summarized, eyes narrowed beneath his cowl.

"Yes. You'd do well to leave her for dead, it would help your problem as well," he said coldly, throwing him annoyed look at being interrupted. Bruce stared back and it was Luthor who turned his gaze away first. "I won't let that monster loose in Metropolis, in my city of all places! Maybe the man before would have allowed that, but… I was going to end it here, return and end Circe before you heroes even realized something was wrong, but I didn't consider - what a fool I am - that the clown would start the plan before we were ready."

Realizing that if he didn't stop him, Luthor would finally begin that rant Bruce had predicted earlier, he interrupted: "And then what?"

"Then what?" Luthor repeated dumbly, a flicker in his eyes that made Bruce uneasy. "And then I sleep."

"Somehow, I doubt that." He wasn't the type of man to just fall asleep, he would have other plans. A giant creature with superhuman strength was the type of distraction that Bruce expected Luthor to do and he wasn't ruling out the possibility that he was going to kill then continue on with his own plots.

Luthor smiled. There was no humor in it. "Somehow, I doubt you have a choice in what I do. You see, my suit is stronger than yours, Batman, if we fight, which of us will win?" When Bruce tensed, readying himself for an attack, Luthor shook his head, sighing loudly. "We are after the same goals: save Metropolis. I have no need for battling you, Batman, not unless you waste my time. Believe it or not, that's your decision, but I want to end that thing. It'll cost a fortune to clean up the mess its offspring made as is."

He got to his feet, his armor clinking together, free his legs from the wire with one great tug. It fell uselessly to the floor, Bruce following the progress briefly before looking back at the bald man. He was loathe to admit it, but Luthor was right about two things: they were on the same page of saving Metropolis. And they didn't have time to waste now that that thing had left.

"Sword," he ordered impatiently. Luthor hesitated, hand twitching on the sword as his hip before handing it over with a resigned sigh. The hilt was red, but cold and almost awkward to hold, like Athena wanted none but those she approved to touch it. He unsheathed it; the blade was thick and silver, lethal looking. It was the type of sword that he was sure could cut through flesh with little effort and he hoped it worked as well against a minotaur.

Bruce put it back in its protective case then wrapped wire around the hilt tightly, binding it to a loop on his belt. Easy to pull out, difficult to be stolen. "Now walk."

Luthor muttered, but followed the order after a moment of hesitation. The trip inside this cave had taken a few minutes, but the walk back was excruciating in comparison whenever he thought of Diana fighting it. Perhaps alone, perhaps with help, but definitely without him. Get used to it, buddy, he reminded himself strictly, sighing inwardly. He couldn't fight all her battles anymore than she could fight all of his. This was their duty and Bruce wouldn't let anything come before the mission. Not even her. The thought was painful, but true.

He stopped walking suddenly, frowning at the footprints on the floor in front of them. They were theirs, he recognized the heel of Luthor's step as the ones he had followed in the cave. They might have been from the two of them walking in this direction earlier, but something about it confused him. He crouched, examining them, and swore. No wonder they bothered him; the footsteps weren't going towards them, as they would if they were from earlier, they were going away from them. As in they had walked this way already.

"This place is magical in nature," Luthor said critically, noticing the same thing that Bruce did. "We can't expect it to be the same way out as it was in. It would be easy for them to escape if that was the case."

Bruce nodded shortly, pulling out a small, rectangular device from one of his pockets. "I figured something like this might happen." The screen lit up, illuminating his face; he tapped rapidly, zeroing in on the tracker he had stuck in the wall when he first arrived. The screen flashed green, telling him that it caught the signal. A weak signal, but a signal nonetheless. "This way." He lead them down back the way they came, turning right at an intersection.

"Magnificent creation, isn't it? You don't know when you've gone from the doorway to the labyrinth itself," Luthor commented after a few minutes. Bruce didn't look up from his tracker, but his brows arched beneath his cowl. Whatever Circe had done to bring Luthor back, it didn't seem like she had collected all the pieces; the arrogance was still there, but there was less of it. Maybe that was just a side effect of dying.

"Amazing," he said dryly, still looking at the screen. Luthor didn't speak again until they hit a deadend a few minutes later.

Luthor laughed as Bruce examined his screen. "Apparently, your little toys do nothing here... What are you doing now?" He asked as Bruce began to run his gloved hands over the wall.

"Quiet, we don't know where that thing is in here," he snapped shortly.

"I- Did you hear that?"

Bruce didn't say or even think I told you so, but it might have been implied with the heated look he sent the other man. He made a shushing motion, but the thudding of footsteps sounded far enough off that his fingers continued skimming over the wall until they brushed against something sharp, something made of metal. He pulled out pointed, bat-shaped object that looked similar to a batarang, but this was thicker and heavier to hold. It was also useless now; there was certainly no exit here.

"I suppose it's my turn to find our way out?" Luthor asked smoothly as Bruce tucked it away into a pouch, less than pleased that magic thwarted science again. Maybe he could work with Zatanna into making something that worked around magic, but that implied he'd be able to find his way out of here in time. Of course, letting Luthor lead the way was out of the question, but just what else could he-?

His knees began to tremble as a feeling washed over him. He didn't know what it was, just that he had the feeling of a sword sticking from his abdomen and then ripped out forcibly, knocking the breath from his lungs. His hand fell against the wall to support himself. He wouldn't have been surprised to find that Luthor had stolen the sword and stabbed him with it, but when he looked up, he found that Luthor was staring at him, confused and quite empty-handed.

This isn't my pain, he realized, and the thought acted like a buffer against the sensation. The pain wasn't gone, he could still feel it, but it was distant now, something that he could acknowledge from afar rather than something he could feel personally.

Diana. His fingers went to the hilt of his sword, his eyes taking on a steely determination. Science didn't work in here, but he'd just been reminded that magic did and though he didn't question why it worked now, why he hadn't felt it earlier, Bruce was suddenly glad for their bond.

He followed the fragments of thoughts without a word, hearing Luthor's annoyed protests and questions behind him. The thoughts grew stronger, but not overwhelming as he walked, seeming to know when to turn and when to keep walking straight without thinking about it, never once coming across another creature. His feet were moving off pure instinct. He had a frightening thought that it wouldn't work until the cave began to grow narrower and narrower until it ended abruptly in a dead end.

A dead end with light shining on it.

"How did you…?" Luthor murmured, both of them looking up at the moon far above their heads.

Bruce pulled out his grapple, shooting it at a broken yet sturdy piece of concrete at the exit. As he climbed the rest of the way out, two thoughts consumed him: one, fresh air hadn't smelled so sweet now that he was away from the musky smell of earth and two, he needed to find her. He didn't fool himself into thinking that it was everyone else that concerned him, even if he did spare them a fragment of thought as well, but he knew that Diana was his focus as he thought about her pain. The Minotaur must have found her. His hands curled into fists at his side, but loosened as he shot a grapple to a nearby roof.

In that moment, he found that Diana didn't overwhelm the mission so much as she became another piece of it, another reason to keep going and keep trying. He might have loved his family differently than he loved her, but they didn't interfere with the mission, why did he think that Diana would?

 _Focus, Bruce. You can have second thoughts later._

He spotted them as soon as he was on the building. It wasn't hard to find them given the level of destruction surrounding them, dust still lingering in the air from toppled buildings, mingling with smoke from burning cars. They were in the intersection and beneath the lone surviving signal light, Bruce could see a brown fur with bloodied horns towering over a figure in red and blue.

A figure that was shielding another from harm and couldn't dodge out of the way as the dragged his foot across the ground, the sidewalk cracking beneath its powerful heel, seeming to debate on what to do next. He didn't give it the chance to decide, throwing a smoke bomb at its feet. The Minotaur seemed to splutter, confused by what it was inhaling and stepping away from it, trying to shake the smoke off, not paying attention to its surroundings.

His fingers curled around the edge of the sword, but he hesitated, not moving. There wouldn't be another shot at this, would there? From here, he could jump down and pierce its neck with the sword before it even realized he was there, but Bruce didn't know if he could kill this. Was there a shred of humanity in it and, if so, wasn't there a chance of reaching that part of it? If it didn't, would this count as killing?

He hesitated too long. The smoke began to clear and he could clearly see Diana supporting Clark on her back, trying to limp away, to drop him off to safety, but if Bruce could see, the Minotaur definitely could. He saw the sudden tension in her shoulders as she deposited Clark on the ground against, turning to face the Minotaur, hands raised and lips moving.

A streak went past his face, barely missing him. He would have thought it was a poor attempt at killing him if it didn't strike the Minotaur clearly on the back. It tore its gaze from Diana, whose lips moved even faster, and zeroed in on him. Bruce looked over his shoulder, but there was no sign of anybody else, no sign of the person who shot it. He looked back down and froze. It was gone.

From his vantage point, he could see the annoyance painting Diana's features. She looked around until she spotted him on the roof and the annoyance fell away, replaced with a relief that nearly staggered him, until her emotions seemed to freeze, surprise and then panic flooding her, flooding _him_.

"Batman!" She shouted as he instinctively dived to the side. Too late, he thought as something tore through his side, cutting through armor and flesh as cleanly as scissors through paper. He didn't register the pain much, eerily similar to the way he felt Diana's wound only a few minutes ago. Clumsily, he ducked out of the way from another attack, a snort telling him the Minotaur was more amused than annoyed at the attempt to dodge it.

He pressed a hand against his wound to thwart the flow of blood with little use. Instead, it fell to the sword at his hip and he pulled it from the sheath, his side protesting the movement, the rest of him grateful that it wasn't a moment too late as a fist larger than his face came crashing down on him just as he held the sword up.

It cut clean through the Minotaur's hand, blood dripping down the sword, falling to the floor. His eyes flickered, only briefly, to notice that their blood was mixed together on the rooftop as the Minotaur began to howl, jerking its hand from the blade. The sword clattered uselessly to the rooftop; Bruce felt his vision getting blurry once more and it made the impressive size of the Minotaur even larger, even more frightening.

 _Diana_ , he thought, a frown making its way to his face as the Minotaur trembled with pain and rage. Bruce lifted his face, holding his side once more with one hand while the other fumbled around through the blood and broken rooftop to find the sword, grunting at the effort it took to roll away from another attack. He ended up on his back, coughing, blinking his eyes clear enough to see it standing over him, nearly identical to the way he had found it standing over Diana and Clark.

Three things happened simultaneously: the Minotaur lifted its fist to strike again, Bruce tried to force himself backwards, and a figure slammed itself into its abdomen. A figure with thick, dark hair and blue eyes that sparkled with a calmness that Bruce didn't understand nor could spare the energy to question. The Minotaur stumbled back from the force and the darkness overtook Bruce completely.

* * *

 **A/N:** Newbie, how does it end in one more chapter if you didn't finish the action in this one? It does because I decided against doing an epilogue at this point (though if you guys want one after the next chapter is published then I will consider it). Why? I want this story done, I'm not as happy with it as I was when I first started writing it (happy is not the same as proud though, I'm still proud of it, but there's a lot I wished I had done differently)! As an early eighteen birthday gift to me, please vote on the poll if you haven't already! It'll make my job easier and you guys get to pick what story I'm writing next, so a win-win for all of us!

On another note, completely unrelated to this story, could anyone give me some information on Damian, Ra's, and Talia? Namely, their relationship with each other (not how they are related, but how they interact together) and what most of their motives have been. I need this for future reference and it would help a lot. Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Well, here it is! Final chapter! Thank you very much for the reviews and I'm so grateful for everyone who has been with me every step of the way (and even though who joined me halfway/may be reading this in the future)! Warning, this chapter wasn't proofread and there will likely be mistakes, but I wanted to get this out before it became September 25th (I started this when I was 17 and I'm finishing it while I'm 17, even if I turn 18 in about an hour). Enjoy though!

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

She twitched with the urge to look back and see if he was okay, but survival instincts held her in place, eyes locked with the Minotaur's. It was startled by her strength; she hadn't fought back before, held back by her injuries and her desire to keep an ally, a friend, safe from harm, but now that she hit it, she could see it scanning her, trying to determine how dangerous she would be to its success.

The bigger question was its success to what and Diana ached to ask, but like her survival instincts held her still, the way it looked at her kept her mouth shut. Those eyes… They weren't normal eyes by any means, but they were bright and intelligent and so human. They made her dizzy, but worse, they made her conflicted because while a good portion of her screamed kill it, the other portion didn't even let her reach for the glint of the sword near her feet.

She waited for it to attack, but the Minotaur didn't move, a look in his eyes that confused her.

Blinking rapidly against the hypnotic effect of its eyes, Diana found her tongue again and she didn't know what she planned on saying until the words began to slip from her mouth. "My people have a saying: "Don't kill if you can wound, don't wound if you can subdue, don't subdue if you can pacify, and don't raise your hand at all until you've first extended it." She held her hand, feeling calmness sweep over her and when its eyes flickered to her hand, confusion in its eyes, Diana smiled reassuringly. "We don't have to fight."

There was no reason to fight it, Diana could reason with it. She had almost done so earlier before something attacked it and the Minotaur seemed to think it was Bruce; Diana had a good idea who it was, but she fought the urge to look around and check. They were stood on a sword's edge, a single move could tilt them in the wrong direction. They kept their eyes locked, blue and brown, the Minotaur oddly silent, contemplating her move.

Diana. For a silly moment, she thought it was the Minotaur talking to her with powers that her sisters never mentioned it possessing, but it was frowning, head tilted. It heard, but it didn't know what said that. Or maybe it didn't know what that meant.

Look here. It didn't specify where, but Diana knew instinctively that it was behind the Minotaur.

Don't look, she told herself, both annoyed and unnerved by the bewitching voice in her head.

Look, it urged.

She kept her face blank, but her hand by her side tightened into a fist, shaking from the effort to contain every ounce of emotion in one limb, to keep smiling at somebody who had definitely hurt Bruce and done something to Clark. That something, she didn't know, just that one punch was enough to knock the invincible kryptonian out. Almost like magic.

Diana, look here, the voice sang in a hauntingly beautiful voice, trying to drag her eyes away. It knew, like her, that something was going to happen the moment she did so, something bad. And yet, there was something there, something that Diana badly wanted to see. Did she dare take a tiny peek? She didn't think that would hurt much, the creature wouldn't even know if she stood a little taller, if she looked passed it just a tiny-

No, she thought firmly, not sure how she was doing it, but pushing the voice back with all her strength. "We don't have to fight," she repeated. "What do you want? I can help you."

The Minotaur blinked and she thought it made a noise. Was it laughing at her? She recalled the emotion from earlier, the ones flickering in its eyes that she hadn't understood at the time. Were those emotions amusement? Was it just playing with them, making them think they stood a chance?

Two of the trinity down, one left to go. The voice was fainter this time, Diana wouldn't have even heard it if she hadn't felt something moving in her head, trying to get through the defenses she erected around her mind when she pushed back. She pushed again, not sure of how she did it, but imagined a mass of energy, like a shield, forcing it back and away.

There was a grunt and a grumble of words that Diana couldn't decipher. Diana blinked at the Minotaur, head tilted in confusion. Seeming to realize that she couldn't understand, it stared at her forcibly, trying to convey its thoughts in its eyes, but Diana couldn't understand that anymore than she could understand what it was saying before.

The Minotaur twitched as though to attack, but then she realized that it was just breathing heavily, its shoulders rising and falling with the deep breaths it took. Like a frustrated human. "Home," it said after a long pause.

"You want to go home?" She didn't know if it meant the Labyrinth or somewhere in Greece, but knew that only one of those was an option. Unless…

"New... Home."

"You want a new home?" Diana asked carefully, a plan occurring to her. It nodded its headed and she chewed on her lip, debating. "You can't take your kids with you, they can't be reasoned with yet."

It nodded again.

"They listen to you?"

It nodded.

"Will you send them back where they came from if I give you a new home?" It replied positively and she smiled, smiling in relief. "Send them back for now."

It hesitated here, but Diana found that she could read it like a book now, like its words had pushed away all the animalness to it that had been misleading Diana before. It was torn between disbelief and hope. It mustn't have ever had hope. She recalled only about a week ago, when Bruce had first asked her about the key and what the Amazons knew of it.

Like any of us would wish that beast upon the world, she had said. The words brought a pang of guilt to her stomach now. No, it never had any hope, she didn't even think it had a name.

The Minotaur threw its head back and the noise haunted her far more than any other roar could have done. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't mad - it was sad, a mixture of every bad thing that happened to a person put into one horrible sound. She wondered if that was how it felt to send its children away, to not take them with it, or if that was just how it felt in general, but the thought was too sad to think on for longer than a few seconds. She closed her eyes briefly, but chanced a glance behind her.

Bruce was sitting up, leaning back against the roof's ledge, his exposed jaw and mouth expressionless. With his cowl on, Diana could tell if he was awake or not from a simple glimpse, but his chest rose and fell with each of his breaths and that was enough to shake away her apprehension. Trying to ignore the continuing cry, she walked slowly to him, crouching by him and examining his side. His hand was fisted around a torn piece of his cape, pressing firmly against the wound, and she moved it, replacing it with her own.

"How deep?" She asked, positive he was awake.

"Deep enough," he replied simply, letting his hand drop to his side. "I just need to bind it until we're done here."

She didn't hesitate to rip a long strip from his cape. "You'll find another one," she said unnecessarily when his lips twitched with shaky laughter. The most difficult part of wrapping it around him was lifting him from the wall, where he gritted his teeth and grunted in a way that told her how painful this was for him. Tying it tightly, but careful to not make it worse, Diana began to set him down gently when the cry abruptly stopped.

Both their eyes flashed up to the Minotaur, who held its head in its hands, a strangled moan coming from its lips as it shook, slowly at first, then shaking as though it was little more than a leaf in the wind. She stood up, placing herself in front of Bruce; distantly, she was aware of him pulling himself up, using the roof's ledge to hold him up.

"What's-" She started to ask until a flash of color caught her eye and she growled. "Circe."

Circe smiled; her beautiful face was unmarked and there was a flush of color to her cheeks that hadn't been there earlier, no trace of a wound on her body although a tear in her armor said that it had been quite real. Her finger was pointed at the Minotaur; it moaned, writhing and holding its head. "You know, I thought if I let it out, it would go on a rampage, just give it a nightmare of all the trauma it suffered and it would just… But I guess things never go according to plan, do they? Part one didn't, part two isn't either. You're certainly making my job difficult, Diana."

"What game are you playing?" Diana demanded, beginning to understand the flash of light that had given away Bruce's position and the voice in her head that had been trying to make her break eye contact from the Minotaur. It didn't explain, however, why Circe was doing this. What did she gain from killing the people of Metropolis?

"Game? No, don't assume that I'm like that foolish mortal- that Joker- I don't play little games. I just wanted to end you, I didn't care about any of this, I just wanted revenge. But then that spell went wrong and I needed answers, I needed to know if I won… Well, I found out, but everything comes with a price, especially when you do a deal with a demon," she said carelessly, fiddling with the ends of her ponytail. The smile on Circe's face confused her; she didn't dare look away from her to see what Bruce thought, but she could guess that he was incredulous like her. "When Lex Luthor was given to me, I used him to my advantage, he paid off some very powerful people to handle the asylum for my distraction while the Joker got the key."

It wasn't like Circe to monologue, but Diana kept silent, edging forward until she stood directly behind the sword.

"I got the key, I got the sword. Why get the sword if I wanted to turn this thing into a killer?" She emphasised her words by twisting her hand and the Minotaur shuddered, knees buckling beneath it. "After its goal was accomplished, it was supposed to die. By your hands or by mine, I didn't particularly care, I have no need for the magic it possesses, but it was supposed to be the… announcement that things had gone according to plan. Oh, I guess I'll have to think of something else." The smile on her face twisted.

She's going to kill it, Diana realized, reaching for the sword when there was a flicker of golden light as the lasso - her lasso - wrapped around the Minotaur's neck. Beads of flames went from Circe's hands, down the golden lasso, spreading over the Minotaur's flesh. Bruce closed his hand around her elbow, pulling her away; she hadn't even realized that her hand was no longer reaching for the sword, but towards the lasso as though to rip it away. She reminded herself that it was unbreakable, but couldn't over that haunting scream, couldn't think of anything but being unable to save somebody.

"There was nothing you could do," he whispered, frowning as the lasso slackened now that its captive was charred and slumped. Even though the screaming stopped, she still heard it in her head.

Diana didn't know if the cold rage creeping up her spine was from the knowledge that her lasso had killed something or that Circe had killed something that Diana had tried to save, something that could have turned a new leaf if it was offered an ounce of kindness. Her vision was filled with red, her hands shaking by her sides until something cool pressed against them; a hand was holding her fist, trying to smooth out her rage like it were inconvenient wrinkles.

"How dare you," she said coldly as Circe began to laugh, attaching the lasso to a loop by her side. No doubt that was where the sword had once laid, but now it was no longer needed, just a useless chunk of metal that lay by her feet.

Circe shrugged. "I wouldn't be so worried about it and more worried about yourself. After all, I have all the power here, isn't that right? You weren't even a challenge at complete strength with Batman as your ally, now you're both injured; you don't stand much of a chance."

She had forgotten about her wound in those long moments, even if each breath reminded her of it, but Diana didn't chance a glance down to see how it was doing. What would Circe do in that second if she did? It had only taken a brief moment for her to kill the Minotaur, she didn't want to be the owner of such a grisly death as well. The only worse way to die would to have that sword cutting her in half- The sword! It would wound Circe; it already had done so already! She felt almost giddy, knowing a way out of this situation without risking injury to either of them.

Unfortunately, the sword stood between them and Diana didn't doubt that in the moment it took for Diana to reach the sword, Circe would strike her or Bruce with a spell before Diana could react. She wished she could look at him; they were masters at silent communication, he would read her plan in her eyes with only one look, but she couldn't look at him for the same reason she couldn't look at her wound. But there was another way, one that was looking more convenient by the moment.

Batman, she thought, visualizing him in her head. The curve of his jaw, the flash of his teeth when he grinned, the look of his lips when they moved and the feel of them when she kissed them. She didn't dare picture anything that would reveal him as Bruce Wayne, suddenly afraid of how easily Circe had gotten into her head before, but she thought hard of the things of him that were firmly Batman until she felt it.

She never knew when he was in her head until he spoke something that he had picked from her thoughts. This time she could feel it though. Unlike Circe, this wasn't a hard and unrelenting push, but a brush to announce his presence, so gentle and fleeting that it couldn't have been the same man. The sword, she thought hard, and for good measure, she sent along an image of it in the rubble between them and a reminder of the wound Circe had sustained earlier.

She wasn't sure if he got it or not until he began to speak. "What changed?" He asked harshly, managing to stand beside her and not even swaying with the effort it required of him. "You were going to send it on a rampage, why not set it off again? Just hit it again, like you did with me, and it would have gotten us both. What changed?" He had, apparently, come to the same conclusions as her about who had attracted the Minotaur to him.

"What changed? Obviously, you know, since you were the reason it didn't do anything. When I threw that spell, I expected you to die, Diana, but, of course, I didn't chance on him mucking up the spell when he threw that, if he had just delayed a second longer and you would have been a goner." Diana knew this already, but hearing it verbalized gave her a headache and a gratefulness for allies that didn't let each other face enemies alone.

Bruce moved toward her as though he was trying to get closer to her words, but Diana understood what he was doing when he stood in front of her and the sword.

Circe continued, unaware of Diana creeping forward during her ranting. "Then, to make it worse, instead of breaking off of you completely, your soul just decided to attach to the two nearest vessels. It wasn't supposed to do that!"

"Two?" She asked, unable to stop it, freezing in her tracks. At the same time, Bruce said, "Two?"

"You," Circe replied slowly, as though talking to someone particularly dumb, her attention firmly on Bruce. Diana began to move again, shielded by Bruce's tattered cape and imposing figure, she pulled the sword from the rubble. It fit perfectly in her palms. "-And me. Now I can't even try to kill her again because as long as she's tied to both of us, she can't die unless the majority does! I'd have to kill her… and you." This, she said dangerously low, and Diana knew, as she did before, that Circe was going to kill him.

Unlike last time though, Diana wasn't going to let it happen. Three things happened at once: Circe began to speak with a sickly green light crackling in her palms, Bruce began to move from his spot, and Diana swung up, the sword glinting in the rising sun. She brought it down before Circe could defend itself and blood sprayed from the jagged wound across Circe's chest as the witch whimpered, falling back a step, then two.

Her spell fizzled and died the moment her knees gave out. "You… think this is enough to stop me? I'm going to kill you both," Circe panted, trying to assuage the blood. Her threat didn't bother them as much as it would have a few seconds ago, though Diana felt shaken by how easily it would have been to kill her instead. She stabbed the sword into the concrete to take it out of her hands, unsure of how much of her rage had been doused.

Bruce smiled grimly. "No, but this will be enough to stop you until we can find out a new place for you. I imagine Arkham wouldn't hold you."

Diana wasn't sure what to do with her actually. She began to suggest taking her to Themyscira to petition one of the Gods on what to do with her when the earth began to shake. "Don't tell me they are coming back," Diana said, frowning in the direction she knew the minotaurs had come from, until she saw it.

The air behind Circe began to crack, like fingers were prying it open, until Diana was staring at a large, rectangle piece of darkness where the sky had once been. It was only dark for a moment, before flames began to spill out, too fast and snakelike to be anything except a type of magic; for a second, she thought they were coming for them. She already reached for Bruce, preparing to get away, when they ensnared around Circe's ankles.

She stopped reaching for him and began to reach for her, but it was spreading too fast, the flames going from her ankles to her thighs in seconds. Circe didn't scream; they didn't appear to be hurting her. "No," she moaned instead, trying to pull them off, trying to pull it off. They didn't relent and her voice grew louder as she spoke to somebody that neither of them could do. "No! I can do this! Stop, please, I'm not done! I'm not done!"

Diana landed beside her, trying to rip them from the tight grip they had around Circe's throat, but while the flames didn't hurt Circe, they certainly hurt her. They burned at her fingers like sharp bites and she retracted them instantly when they tried to creep up her arm as well, watching in horrified fascination as Circe became entirely obscured by the flames. They didn't kill her and retreat as Diana expected them to, but began to pull her back, dragging her, tightening along the way and finally, finally, bringing the screams that Diana knew were coming.

Circe was pulled into the darkness and her screams cut off abruptly when the darkness slammed shut like a door. There was ringing silence, only the charred and bloodied ground where Circe stood as proof that she was even there.

"You're explaining this one," Bruce said suddenly, looking weary and annoyed. She almost smiled in response.

* * *

As it turns out, Bruce didn't have to explain any of this to the rest of the league, but not because he just refused to do it. Once the situation had calmed down, the two had searched for Superman and requested a teleport back to the Watchtower that Bruce had passed out from the blood loss of a wound that he had repeatedly told Diana was "Fine, stop asking! Please." whenever she bugged him about getting checked out.

Two days later, she sat in the infirmary, in a private room in the very back where only founders were allowed in to keep Bruce's identity a secret, reading over only a tenth of the mountain of paperwork demanding her attention from the embassy, barely managing to process any of the words through her blinks. It had been a long few days, having to explain multiple times what had happened on the rooftop to people who were confused on the minotaurs sudden retreat. None of them seemed to believe that simply talking to it would have sent it on its way, but Diana saw the humanity in its eyes, the pain in its roars to get its family to retreat, and the pain it felt as it died.

Eventually, they saw her way, even if it took a few stern warnings and painfully specific description of everything that happened.

Thankfully, there were no lasting injuries, just a few broken bones ; even Diana's wound had begun to heal within minutes after the Minotaur got a lucky shot. Still, she would have to be careful. The worst was Bruce, who hadn't woken up yet, but she was assured by J'onn that this was to be expected, that he couldn't heal as fast as the rest of them, especially with the blood loss and the infection a few hours later.

She pressed her palm against her eyes, a headache building there. It wasn't from being tired, although that played a part, but from her frequent attempts at looking at her mind, searching for Bruce or Circe's presence with some help from J'onn in his free time. Nobody knew the mind as well as him, but it still took some effort to look that deeply. Still, one thing came from all this: she could sense Bruce easily and she couldn't sense Circe at all.

She assumed distance was the reason for that originally, but after a few hours of testing the distance of their bond, Diana knew without a doubt that Circe was dead. After all, how else would she have gotten to Themyscira without succumbing to that excruciating pain? There wasn't even a twinge of that now and the only time she could recall feeling so light was the first time she began to fly. She wasn't bound to him anymore and it was liberating to hold her own once more. A bit scary too, she wasn't sure if being stuck together had been a reason for them to be together on a more… romantic level, but until he was awake, she couldn't really forbid him from ending things without trying.

It would take too much effort to stop now, Diana.

If she hadn't been looking at him, she would have thought that he had spoken aloud, but his lips hadn't moved even if his eyes had opened. Bruce stared at her. She stared at him. It was, she thought, weird to have another voice in her head that wasn't her own.

Likewise, he responded, frowning intently. Aloud, he said groggily, "How long have I been here?"

"About two days."

"Go on, say it, I know you want to."

Her lips twitched and she set her papers aside to lean her elbows on his bed, moving closer to him. "I told you to get your wound checked out."

"It seemed fine at the time," he said dryly, blinking rapidly in an effort to stay awake. He wouldn't have been Bruce if his next words weren't immediately business related."Did I hear right? She's dead?"

Her smile faded to a grimace. "Most likely, although I doubt we'll ever know for sure. I guess her other ally isn't one to tolerate failure and before you ask, I've looked into who it could be, I can only assume that it was Hades or that it was Ares. We probably won't know for sure until one of them says something." Not that would stop her from trying. Not only did she want to know who had, most likely, killed Circe or who had indirectly killed the Minotaur, but she needed to get her lasso back.

It was just like Circe to be a nuisance in the afterlife as well.

"We'll find it," he promised.

"That's going to take some getting used to, you know, and we're going to have to set boundaries about peeking into the other's thoughts. I'm willing to share my life with you, but you need the privacy of your thoughts and I need the privacy of mine," she pointed out, grinning. "Besides, you'd get sick of all the ways I insult you when I need to vent."

He laughed, but stopped when it pulled the stitches on his wound and said with a wince, "I think that's a fair deal." Bruce shifted on his pillows, already looking like he wished to be home.

She raised her brow. "I think a deal implies that we both get something. I'm getting privacy, what do you want?"

"I'll think of something good and let you know in the future," he said simply.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that. I think I'm going to tell Alfred about this and about how you refused to get treated for your wound next time I see him," she teased, tapping his exposed hand. It was a calculated risk on her part to mention Bruce's butler and practical surrogate father, implying that she would someday soon be at the manor to speak with him.

At first, he didn't respond, his eyes locked on her face. She wasn't sure what he was seeing or if he was just looking through her, but she didn't dare interrupt his thought process, knowing that Bruce needed to be in on their decision one hundred percent or they would go nowhere. An eternity later, but really only a few seconds, he shook his head at her. Her stomach dropped, but her face didn't betray any emotion. "And if you do, I'll tell him that you aren't resting your wound then he'll be mad at both of us. Do we really want that?"

She laughed and no more was said on that topic. They would have ages to figure things out.

* * *

The funny thing about change is that they can't ever change too much. Almost immediately, Diana got used to the swing of things at the Embassy and at the League once more, though it took a good week to go through the mountains of paperwork she had before she could even speak to Bruce. He faced the same issues though so it didn't particularly matter; he had catching up to do as Batman, but even more to do as Bruce Wayne, womanizing playboy who just happened to admit to the press a few days prior that he was seeing someone privately.

She hadn't been able to go over to Wayne Manor to thank him properly until today and she found that the moment she stepped foot in the manor, it was like things were the same as when she left. Alfred greeted her fondly when she came up to the front door, dressed in her Diana Prince attire rather than her Wonder Woman, and when she spotted Tim, he offered a poite, but suspicious nod. Bruce, on the other hand, kissed the top of her hand, winking at her when Tim made a face and looked away.

He waited until he was gone before he actually kissed her.

"Stop teasing him," she muttered breathlessly when he let her go.

He shrugged, kissing her again. She didn't complain, since she had missed him as much as he seemed to miss her.

"His grades are down, there are worse punishments than being a little embarrassed. Although, he'll be much more so when he realizes who you are." He rolled his eyes. In his opinion, Tim should have figured it out after only a few minutes of seeing her.

"He doesn't have as much time with Wonder Woman as your alter ego does," she pointed out, knowing that he was thinking about that. "Can't fault him for that. You haven't really opened up to him about the league, have you?"

"Not particularly," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and dropping his chin on her shoulder. "I don't want him to think of joining the League anytime soon. Gotham is dangerous enough."

"He's definitely going to ask now. Besides, weren't you the one that added a new rule to the League to keep children from joining until they reach age eighteen?" She asked, tapping his hand around her waist. He released her and she began to walk, knowing that it was about time that Tim knew the truth. She didn't feel quite right about lying to him when she was supposed to promote truth and almost all of the childish anger had disappeared.

At least until they went into the dining room where Tim was doing his homework. Things didn't change much around here and everyone tended to sit in the same seats; this was a nice routine, but it was also predictable and allowed for a variety issues.

Like the chair breaking as soon as she sat down. She squeaked in surprise and again when her bottom hit the floor with a loud crash; Tim looked up, mildly interested, but his eyes gleaming too much for him to be an innocent bystander and Bruce stared, bewildered, at her chair for half a second until he switched his gaze to Tim.

They both fixed him with a dark look. He looked back and forth. "What?" He asked seriously, his face blanking, but it faded to horror when Alfred came into the room, drawn over by the noise.

"What in- Your Highness! I apologize, I didn't realize I raised wolves here," he said immediately, a frown on his face as he helped her to her feet.

"Your… Highness?" Tim repeated, confused.

"Yes, Master Timothy. That is the way you are to address royalty," he said crisply.

"And you know it's not required, Alfred, calling me Diana is just fine," she added, crouching beside the pieces of the chair, grateful that nothing was actually broken, but taken apart quite carefully and furthering her opinion that it was all Tim's fault.

"I don't understand… I thought you were just…" Tim was standing up now, looking very confused, but very unconcerned about pulling a prank on somebody he just learned was royalty. That was brave, she thought, but also quite stupid.

That's how we operate around here sometimes, Bruce thought back, a grin showing on his face outwardly. It was strange to see him in such a good mood, but Diana figured out the reason when he took the pieces from her hands, put them on the table, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Tim, let me introduce you to Princess Diana." He paused here and there was far too much satisfaction in watching the light bulb go off over Tim's head. "People also call her Wonder Woman, but that's probably not the best way to speak of her around the manor. The last thing we need getting out is Bruce Wayne is dating Wonder Woman, that would be a media nightmare, they are already hounding me about who it is."

Tim sank into his chair. "You're… joking, right?" He asked weakly, rubbing his eyes.

"No," all three of them chorused. Diana went a step further by floating a foot off the floor, grinning at him. It might have been impolite to laugh when his faced turned red as a tomato and he left the room, but it was entirely too satisfying to see it. Of course, she would have to get revenge on him and then she imagined he would get revenge on her. She didn't picture this ending anytime soon.

"Come on, Tim can fix that later, I think this room has seen enough for today," Bruce said, amused as he lead her from the room. "I think we've all seen enough excitement for a little while, actually."

"That comes with the territory of being superheroes, Mr. Wayne," she laughed. They both knew that this quiet time wouldn't last for long, something would need one or both of them of them eventually, but at the end of the mission, they would find each other. That was enough sometimes.

* * *

 **A/N:** So there you go folks, that's the end! I started this as an experiment, expecting it to be four to five chapters of fluff, some plot, and me learning how to write these characters as my first step into the JL-universe so it came to a surprise to me that it came along this far. I did enjoy writing the majority of it, even if towards the end things got a little rocky and I had time getting what I imagined down into words, but I'm still quite proud of it! I left a few things open for a possible sequel, but I can't say when that one will be started. By popular demand, my next story will be **Secret Identities** and I hope to have the first chapter in a couple of days so keep an eye out!

Alright, time for the final review plead! Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly of this story (what I could have done more with, whether I kept the characters in character, what part of the plot you wished to see more of, what part you liked to see less of, etc)! While I will respect all your opinions, I also request that nobody attacks me for how I've written a character and instead make suggestion about how YOU see that character reacting in certain situations, I will be ignoring the reviews that want to attack me rather than offering advice/comments about how the story went. Just a warning :)

Thank you very much and I hope to see you in the future!


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